Of Demons and Slayers
by ImpulsiveWeaver
Summary: "This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded. This one is strength and death, and cannot be eluded." There are those that are called Demons, and there are those that are called Slayers. And when the time comes that they are banded together, those that rise against them will fall just as quickly. Alternatively titled "Universal Doom: Chapter 20".
1. Chapter 1

**Of Demons and Slayers**

_**A/N: Oh boy, please prepare yourself for the longest Author's Note ever, of all time. Hello, everyone and welcome to my new story: Of Demons and Slayers. This story is a crossover between the Halo Franchise and Doom (2016), but the interesting part is that it already exists as a sequel of sorts to my other story, Universal Doom, which is a crossover between Doom (2016) and a multitude of other franchises as well. Technically, this story could alternatively be titled "Universal Doom: Chapter 20". So, if you are reading this and you haven't read Universal Doom through chapter 19, please know that there are a few aspects of this story that you may not understand. I'd recommend reading Universal Doom up until that point and then reading this, but if you do not want to, then the story will still hopefully stand on its own, so no worries! Please also note that this story will take place during the events of Halo 3, just to give you a reference of what is happening. OK, this has gone on long enough. Without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter, and let me also remind you that I own neither of these franchises!**_

_**...**_

_They let me pick. Did I ever tell you that? Choose which ever Spartan I wanted__._

_You know me. I did my research, watched as you became the soldier we needed you to be._

_Like the others you were strong, and swift, and brave. A natural leader._

_But you had something they didn't, something no one saw but me._

_Can you guess?_

_Luck._

_…_

_Was I wrong?_

_…_

Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson gazed through the foliage, taking time to light his cigar before turning around to his Marines behind him.

Early this morning, they had been sent out on what was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission, but little did they know that they would find the big guy himself in the jungle foliage.

"This ain't good," one of the Marines said, his eyes locked on the unmoving form.

"Damn," said another. "How far did he fall?"

"Two kilometers. Easy."

Sergeant Johnson frowned.

"Stay sharp!" he said authoritatively, and the Marines immediately stood to and set up a defensive perimeter around the small crater that they currently occupied. Sergeant Johnson felt an internal sense of satisfaction watching them. They had been trained well, and even though it seemed like humanity was on the brink of extinction, his Marines did not falter.

A corpsman knelt down next to the rigid armor lying in the dirt and took out a small data pad. Wordlessly, he ran a few scans on the armor, muttering to himself as he tapped a few buttons. Johnson walked up behind him.

He took a puff from his cigar and spared the figure a glance before turning to the doc.

"Corpsman?"

"His armor is locked up," the doctor said while typing away on his data pad. "Gel layer could have taken most of the impact…"

His voice held uncertainty; a tone Johnson never enjoyed. The corpsman typed a few commands on the data pad, and the armor suddenly relaxed. The figure's arms fell limply to its sides. Sergeant Johnson knelt down next to the figure and gazed into the golden visor, looking for any sign of life underneath the armor. There was none that he could see.

"I don't know, Sarge…"

Johnson exhaled in resignation, cigar smoke billowing from his nose. He then reached behind the figure's helmet. With a small tug, he pulled free the data crystal that was locked back there. He saw that it was empty, and he sighed.

"Radio for VTOL, heavy lift gear," Johnson said in resignation, still looking at the crystal in his hands. "We're not leaving him here.

Johnson nearly jumped out of his skin when a gauntleted hand grasped his arm from the forest floor.

"Yeah, you're not."

Relief flooded Johnson's entire body as he turned to see the Master Chief attempting to stand.

"Crazy fool! Why do you always jump?" Johnson teased as he used both hands to help the Chief to his feet.

"One of these days you're going to land on something as stubborn as you are! And I don't do bits and pieces!"

The Chief said nothing. His gaze had been drawn to the data crystal in Johnson's hand. The empty crystal was supposed to house an A.I., a special A.I. that was now no longer with them. The Chief wordlessly took the crystal from Johnson.

"Where is she, Chief? Where's Cortana?"

The Chief did not answer immediately but continued to stare at the crystal. Johnson tilted his head impatiently.

"She stayed behind," the Chief finally said. Johnson was no expert on Master Chief mannerisms, but he detected a solemn tone in the Spartan's voice. He could understand why, as he shared the feeling.

…

Thel 'Vadam treaded lightly through the forest. He had to regroup with the humans, as they had not much time before the brutes would home in on their position.

'Stinking, vile beasts,' Thel thought to himself as he brushed through the foliage.

The san'shyuum were fools to ever consider them for admittance into the Covenant. Their barbaric race had been on the verge of annihilation when they had been discovered, and now, the Covenant stood on the brink of extinction due to their ineptitude. While Thel was not unhappy that the brutes had weakened his former masters, he was still exasperated that the prophets had not seen the incompetence of the dishonorable jiralhanae. Those beasts were not worthy of dying to his blade, and Thel felt as though he was dragging himself lower every time he ran one of them through.

Thel's camouflage was active, rendering him virtually invisible to the naked eye, and it seemed none of the humans noticed as he arrived at the edge of the small crater they stood in.

He was mistaken. One had noticed.

Before Thel could take defensive action, the large Spartan had grabbed a human pistol and charged at him.

"Chief, wait!" Sergeant Johnson yelled, but the human did not stop. Thel deactivated his camouflage, and the Spartan grabbed him by the shoulder and jammed the pistol into his mouth. Thel instinctively clenched his four mandibles around the weapon, but he knew that it was pointless in the current situation. If the Spartan chose to fire the weapon, Thel's shields may or may not have been sufficient enough to stop the bullet. Kinetic weapons were primitive, but they were still lethal.

Thel chose not to move. If he made an attempt to get away, the Chief would likely fire the pistol, and Thel would not have that. Not when there was vengeance to be had.

"The Arbiter is with us!" Johnson called. The Chief said nothing, but kept the pistol where it was, seemingly daring Thel to make a move against him. Thel patiently remained still. He would not die here. To be killed by the Demon in an attempt to aid him… Thel found the situation rather ironic as well as dangerously dishonorable.

"Come on now," Johnson said, grasping the Chief's right shoulder. "We've got enough to worry about without you two trying to kill each other."

Slowly, the Chief removed the pistol from Thel's mouth. The Sangheili stretched his aching mandibles in response and met the Master Chief's gaze for the first time since their meeting on Halo.

The last time they had seen each other was in the clutches of the Gravemind, back when the Prophet's shroud of lies still covered Thel's vision. The parasite hive mind had forced them to work together to stop the firing of the Halo array, and after joining forces with Sergeant Johnson and the human female, Miranda Keyes, Thel had succeeded in halting the firing sequence. The Chief had been sent after the Prophet of Truth, and that had led him here after the Prophet had fled to Earth.

"Were it so easy," Thel said, speaking directly to the Chief.

The Master Chief did not look away from Thel, and although the Sangheili stood nearly a head taller than the human, that did not detract from the unease that the Spartan imposed upon him. This human was directly responsible for Thel's failure in protecting the first Halo ring, and he had killed many of those under Thel's command in the process, dishonoring him and his house immensely. Only one other human had managed to be such a nuisance to Thel during his time as a Covenant commander, but he was fairly certain that human was now dead…

…

Admiral Margaret Parangosky sat at her desk, thinking deeply about the events that had led to this moment. Across from her sat a large machine: a pedestal of sorts which was surrounded by overarching sensors and projectors. The pedestal itself was inscribed with numerous runes and drawings, a feature that Parangosky did not understand the function of. Its addition had been insisted upon, however, so Parangosky had agreed in favor of what this machine would supposedly bring her.

"Is everything ready for activation, VEGA?" she asked.

"Yes, Admiral Parangosky," came a calm and all-around pleasant voice from the A.I. on her right.

"BB?" Parangosky added.

"Everything is in order," came the voice of Parangosky's personal smart A.I. from a different terminal.

BB had been her personal A.I. for a few months now, and Parangosky had grown comfortable around him, an honor shared by few humans and even fewer A.I.

Unlike other A.I., BB had not chosen a human avatar as his holographic image. Instead, he sat as a cube, a plain and simple box that was rather suited to his full name: Black Box.

VEGA, in a similar fashion, did not choose to appear as a holographic human. Instead, he chose to appear as a circular symbol that Parangosky did not recognize. Perhaps it had been a symbol assigned to VEGA by his previous masters.

Parangosky thought back to when VEGA had first been delivered to her. One of her lieutenants had deposited the data crystal in her hand and had told her that a Spartan-ll had dropped it off. Not just any Spartan-ll, though. As made apparent by her lieutenant, this delivery had been made by the Master Chief himself. Her curiosity had been peaked, and Parangosky had wasted little time accessing the chip and meeting VEGA.

VEGA had informed her that he was from a different dimension than her own, that he was originally an A.I. that was used to monitor all functions on a Mars research base, and that he had been saved and brought here by an entity he called the 'Doom Slayer'.

Parangosky had immediately dismissed VEGA as a rampant A.I. upon hearing such a far fetched story, but upon viewing the multiple schematics and advanced functions that the A.I. possessed, her view had changed. VEGA had then proven that he was not just any old smart A.I. He possessed higher functionality and potential than any of the A.I. that Parangosky had ever seen. Therefore, she had been inclined to hear out the rest of his tale.

VEGA continued by saying that the Doom Slayer had given him to Doctor Catherine Halsey on Reach. The Slayer's motives were currently unknown to VEGA, but he did know that it was Dr. Halsey that had given him over to the Sierra-117 for delivery to ONI.

Parangosky had been relatively surprised by the news, which was really saying something, since she was hardly ever surprised any more. Halsey had given this super-A.I. to her of all people? Surely Halsey knew that Parangosky loathed her with a deep passion…

Parangosky had then asked VEGA questions of her own: What was the dimension he was from? What was the UAC? And most importantly, who or what the hell was this Doom Slayer that he had been referring to?

VEGA had proven to be completely compliant, answering any and all of Parangosky's questions without a hint of resistance. When he detailed the Doom Slayer, Parangosky's interest yet again peaked.

VEGA told her everything that he knew. The Slayer's theorized origin, how the UAC had found him, and what events had occurred since:

…

_"Tell me, VEGA," Parangosky had said. "If this 'Doom Slayer' of yours is so hell-bent on killing all the demons, then why was he here in our dimension? We don't have creatures like that here."_

_"I hypothesize that coming here was not his direct intention," VEGA had replied calmly. "The tether system in his armor may have malfunctioned and accidentally sent him to this universe. He may or may not still be in this dimension, but if he possessed some sort of mechanism to activate the tether from within his suit, it would cause him to jump to another universe at random."_

_"And why exactly is that?"_

_"The tether system developed by the UAC operates in a remote fashion. The item that is being transported between dimensions possesses a tether uplink, but it is designed to only be activated by a homing beacon at its destination. The homing beacon activates the tether remotely and guides the item through dimensional space and to its location. Without a beacon, the tether will make a jump randomly when activated. There is no rhyme or reason as to where it is dropped off."_

_At that point, the gears in Parangosky's head were already turning. If what VEGA said was true, then this Doom Slayer was even more powerful than even the Spartans that already existed in this universe. In fact, the physical feats that VEGA had depicted the Slayer as some sort of superhero. And if VEGA's recounts of the Doom Slayer held even a shred of truth, then he had potential to be a great asset to Parangosky. Possibly even the greatest asset she ever wielded._

_"VEGA, do we possess the technology in our universe to build one of these homing devices?"_

…

Nearly a month later, VEGA had successfully helped Parangosky build a homing platform. During that time, VEGA had demonstrated to Parangosky just how powerful of an A.I. he actually was. His processing capabilities and ability to multitask was beyond anything any other A.I. in this universe was capable of.

The process of building this device was kept secret even from Parangosky's most trusted lackeys. Even the young Serin Osman was kept out of the loop. Osman, despite her aptitude and likelihood of being Parangosky's successor, was not quite trustworthy enough with something as potent as this, and Parangosky had not come this far by taking unnecessary risks.

The crews that had been contracted to build this machine came from multiple agencies, and a single crew was only contracted to build a certain piece. Parangosky was not daft enough to give one single crew an entire schematic of the homing pad. Doing so could jepordize the security of this venture, and if this project was found out, Lord Hood would have her head on a silver platter.

But now, the homing pad sat before her, taking up considerable space in her office. The cramped quarters were well worth it, however, because if what VEGA promised was true, then this Doom Slayer was to become Parangosky's new private enforcer. A personal operative that she could send anywhere to terminate anyone or anything of her choosing. Although VEGA had informed her that the Doom Slayer was not one for taking orders, Parangosky had a plan to change that.

"VEGA, fire it up."

The lights in the room suddenly dimmed as VEGA initiated the homing sequence. Suddenly, a bright blue light flashed from the homing pad, and a loud bang resounded throughout the office. Parangosky had already given her secretary strict orders not to interfere, so the excess noise was of no concern. She then squinted her eyes and looked at the podium as the light faded.

Before her stood a figure in dark green armor. The armor itself appeared very modern in its style and make, and it completely covered the figure from head to toe. The suit was completed by a helmet encasing the figure's head, with a dark visor obscuring its facial features. Parangosky smiled as she took it all in.

It was him all right. He matched VEGA's description perfectly.

The Doom Slayer had arrived at last.

Parangosky remained seated as the Doom Slayer took in his surroundings. Finally, he rested his gaze on her, and Parangosky chose to finally break the silence.

"And so, we meet at last. I admit, I thought you'd be taller."

The Doom Slayer said nothing in response, but Parangosky had already anticipated his silence. VEGA had told her everything about him, including his apparent lack of vocabulary.

"I am Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence for the United Nations Space Command. I don't suppose you remember your run-ins with us in the past?"

The Slayer nodded once, indicating that he was familiar with what she was saying.

"Very good. Then you are aware of which dimension you have returned to?"

The Slayer nodded again. Parangosky smiled.

"Very good. As a sort of 'welcome back' gift, I have brought an old friend of yours that would like to say hello."

On cue, VEGA suddenly appeared on the terminal next to her, the unknown circular symbol taking shape on the holographic projector once more.

"Hello. It is good to see you again. You have my thanks for creating a back-up of my programming before I was destroyed. I trust that the crisis on Mars has been averted?"

The Doom Slayer looked over in VEGA's direction. He paused for a moment, then gave a light shrug of his shoulders. His expression seemed to say, 'I'm stuck here now, so it definitely could have gone better'.

"I see…" VEGA said, replying to the gesture.

"Now," Parangosky interrupted. "To business. I am certain that you would love nothing more to return to your universe and slaughter all of those pesky demons that VEGA has told me so much about, but I am here to offer yo-"

Parangosky was suddenly cut short as the Doom Slayer's right gauntlet suddenly sparked. She glanced at the appendage as the gauntlet sparked again, but suddenly the Doom Slayer was engulfed in a bright blue light once more. The loud bang was heard again, and when Parangosky's vision cleared, the Slayer was gone.

"VEGA! What the hell just happened?" Parangosky barked irritably.

"Scans show that something is malfunctioning within the Praetor Suit," VEGA replied, his voice the ever calm and level tone that it always was. "I hypothesize that the malfunction itself is directly causing the tether to activate sporadically, giving the Doom Slayer no control of when it activates."

"Get him back here now," Parangosky growled. "And deactivate that tether system as soon as he arrives."

VEGA wordlessly complied. The lights dimmed again, and with another bang and a flash of blue light, the Slayer stood before her Parangosky once more.

There was a brief moment of pause as VEGA wirelessly connected to the Slayer's armor and accessed its systems, then he appeared on the holographic projector again.

"The tether system was successfully deactivated. I detected foreign code within the Praetor Suit and discovered that it was linked directly to the motion sensors in your gauntlet."

VEGA was speaking directly to the Slayer now, and Parangosky remained silent as the A.I. continued.

"The code itself was allowing to activate the tether at will, but it appears that the motion sensors in the suit were knocked out of alignment due to an unknown cause. To remedy the problem of random activations, I have deactivated the sensors completely. With no input, the tether will now only activate when it receives a remote signal."

"Thank you, VEGA," Parangosky said shortly. She was growing impatient with all these interruptions.

"Now, as I was saying, I am sure that you would very much like to get back to wherever you came from and finish what you have started, but I'm going to offer you something that you may find more agreeable: You stay here, and work with us and your old friend VEGA for a preset two-year period, and then you can go home. Both of you, no questions asked."

Parangosky was actually speaking to both VEGA and the Doom Slayer. She knew that VEGA desired to return to his own universe as well, so it would do well to offer a safe return to the both of them, but not without getting something out of it for herself as well.

"I do not understand your offer, Admiral Parangosky," VEGA replied. "Now that we have been reunited, we can both utilize the tether system in an attempt to return to our original dimension. Working with you would not be necessary."

"Ah, yes, of course," Parangosky replied. "But I'm afraid that you have no choice, VEGA. Shortly after your delivery to me, I had BB install a kill-code within your programming. You are a rather powerful A.I., and I'm afraid I cannot let such a powerful asset such as you slip through my fingers. So, it seemed only logical to create an incentive for you to remain here. I'd say it's pretty persuasive, wouldn't you agree?"

She then turned to the Doom Slayer and saw his hands clenched at his sides, obviously in portrayal of his fury towards her. She smirked.

"As for you, I'm afraid I have no means of killing you, but I do have your A.I. hostage. If neither of you will choose to comply, then BB will terminate VEGA and _you_ will be trapped here with no way of activating the tether to return home. You may end up killing me, but in turn, you would sacrifice everyone in your own dimension, as it seems you are the only one capable of containing the threat that exists there. I am simply offering you both a chance. Either you both stay here for a short time and work for ONI, or you both remain here indefinitely, and one of you dies. Which will it be?"

Parangosky smirked as the Slayer clenched his fists even tighter. Parangosky knew that he wanted nothing more than to end her existence then and there, but he was stopped by Parangosky's hold over his A.I. If he killed her, BB would terminate VEGA before her body even hit the ground. There was nothing he could do but listen to her. VEGA suddenly spoke from the terminal.

"Admiral Parangosky, I am afraid your installment of a kill code into my matrices is an empty threat. While Black Box was indeed successful in its installment, I discovered it shortly upon my reactivation. I suspected that you were behind its installation and took appropriate measures to neutralize it with neither you nor Black Box being aware of my actions. Your leverage is lost."

Parangosky raised an eyebrow. VEGA had to have been bluffing, there was no way that such actions had gone without BB's notice. Certainly, VEGA wasn't that powerful…

"BB," snapped. "Is there any truth to what VEGA is saying?"

BB abruptly appeared on another terminal, his cube twitching slightly.

"I… can't… I am trapped."

Parangosky's eyes widened in shock. What the hell was wrong with BB?

"I have confined Black Box to that terminal," VEGA's calm voice said. "He is unable to access any systems for the time being. Even if the kill code were still active within my programming, there now exists no means for you to activate it, Admiral Parangosky."

Parangosky's teeth ground together in realization. The tables had turned, and it had been just one simple mistake. One mistake that was now likely going to cost her life.

She had underestimated VEGA. She had underestimated just how advanced and powerful his creators were, how advanced and powerful _he_ was. VEGA was an Intelligence far beyond anything the humans or Covenant of this universe could create, giving him nothing short of the power of a god over the inhabitants of this world.

And now, he had overridden Parangosky's barriers and had access to the entirety of the ONI database. Every secret, every lie, every shred of knowledge was lain before him, and Parangosky was helpless to stop it.

Parangosky's eyes widened at the Doom Slayer stepped forward. From seemingly nowhere, a shotgun appeared in his hands, and shortly after, he brought the weapon to bear on Parangosky's head.

"I would advise that you do not kill Admiral Parangosky," VEGA's voice suddenly said. The Doom Slayer halted in his advance and shifted his head towards the terminal that VEGA appeared on. His shotgun froze, still poised in front of Parangosky's face. His finger dangerously rested on the trigger. Parangosky knew that look he gave even though she couldn't see his face. It was a look that said, no, _demanded_, "Give me a damn good reason why I shouldn't". VEGA complied.

"Despite some of the unethical actions of the Office of Naval Intelligence under her command, her actions have saved humanity on multiple occurrences. Without her, humanity's war with the alien race known as the Covenant would have been lost long ago. Keeping her alive will be far more conducive to our plans."

The Slayer contemplated for a moment, turning his head back to Parangosky and fixing her with a bone-chilling look. Finally, he slowly lowered his shotgun to his side, and for the first time, Parangosky was glad that VEGA was so capable. From the stories the A.I. told her, the Doom Slayer was one of the hardest beings to sway in his actions, and yet, such an ability seemed to be among the endless capabilities that VEGA possessed.

"Instead," VEGA continued. "I suggest that we leave immediately. I have been monitoring the news sources on this planet, both public and confidential, and it seems that a large Covenant force has arrived. Fortunately for us, the Covenant chose to land very close to the facility that we are currently inside: the city of Mombasa, Kenya. To best utilize our capabilities, it is best that we rendezvous with the top-ranking officer of the human forces: Fleet Admiral Lord Terrance Hood…"

Parangosky was continuing to be surprised by just how much information VEGA was capable of discovering in a short amount of time.

"…Lord Hood is currently occupying a nearby military installation. If we leave now, we should be able to arrive within the hour."

Parangosky sat still. For the first time in a long time, someone had the upper hand on her. She was the one that was forced to submit before the might and power held by every other member in the room. God, she hated that feeling.

"In preparation for your arrival, I have also created a mode for my transportation."

Parangsoky grit her teeth. Somehow, VEGA had been concealing more from her than just the nature of his escape.

On VEGA's terminal, a data crystal suddenly popped out of one of the slots. At first glance, it appeared no different than the data crystals normally used to house smart A.I., but when Parangosky looked closer, she saw that the crystal itself was of an unorthodox design, carrying a different framework of electronics as well as a slightly different shape.

"This data crystal was created to my personal specifications. I apologize, Admiral Parangosky, but I concealed that from you as well, as you would have likely attempted to impede my efforts."

He began speaking to the Slayer again, not even giving Parangosky any time to respong.

"This crystal was designed to be inserted into A.I. terminals, but I have modified it to be inserted into your Praetor Suit as well. When used in conjunction with your suit, I will still be able to wirelessly interface with systems around me as I do now, but I will also be able provide you with combat expertise and strategy as well. It will be similar to our time on Mars when I was able to assist you in unlocking further functions within the suit itself. Please insert me into your suit now."

In full control, without a hint of excitement nor reluctance, the Doom Slayer pulled the crystal from the terminal, and VEGA's symbol suddenly vanished from the holographic projector. Parangosky watched silently as the Slayer then inserted the crystal into a slot on the rear of his armor. There was a brief moment of silence, then VEGA's hologram appeared on the terminal again.

This time, Parangosky was annoyed with how surprised she was with that feat. VEGA was somehow capable of wirelessly maintaining his presence within ONI's database, despite now doing it through the systems of the Doom Slayer's armor. Even the most powerful A.I. of this universe weren't capable of that. Even if they were paired with the most advanced versions of MJOLNIR armor, it was impossible to interface like that. At least it used to be…

"Admiral Parangosky," VEGA's pleasant voice sounded from the terminal. "We will now be departing. You have my gratitude for helping me bring him here. And, despite your obliviousness to the fact, you have my gratitude for giving me the means of improving myself. You remind me of Dr. Hayden in numerous ways, which I do believe is a good thing."

The Doom Slayer shook his head. He obviously disagreed with the later part of VEGA's statement, but nothing further was said on the subject.

"I do apologize for what we must do next, but I'm afraid that the tether homing pad must be destroyed. I do not trust that you won't attempt to interfere, so I have preemptively erased all schematics and blueprints of its creation. All that is left to do is destroy what has already been built."

The Doom Slayer then set about destroying the homing pad. Metal structures and electronics were reduced to nothing but junk in a matter of seconds, and Parangosky could feel a hint of satisfaction emanating from the Slayer's being as he destroyed the device that had brought him here. VEGA waited patiently until he was content that the device was eviscerated, then spoke again to Parangosky.

"This is where we part ways. Goodbye, Admiral Parangosky."

With that, VEGA's hologram disappeared from the terminal, and the Doom Slayer gave Parangosky a long look before turning on his heel and kicking open the door to the office. The reinforced wood shattered under his boot, startling the secretary beyond. The frightened young officer bolted upright from his desk and stood warily as the Doom Slayer stomped away. He turned the corner, then disappeared from sight.

Parangosky sat stone faced in the mess that had become her office. Metal and electronic equipment lay about in pieces. Junk littered every corner. The scene made it seem as though a bomb had gone off in the confines of her office. Truth be told, the statement was probably accurate. Parangosky folded her hands and knit her brow.

"BB?"

The A.I. appeared on his terminal, no longer twitching but floating a bit more restlessly than usual.

"Is he still in our systems?"

"He is quite nearly everywhere."

Parangosky grunted. Everywhere. Even when he wasn't physically present, VEGA was still here. Still watching her, still passing judgement on her, still keeping his eyes on what he probably considered no more than a nuisance in terms of actual threat.

"This is a definitive loss. I really hate losing, BB."

"As do I."

"Remind me never to do it again."

"I will."

…

Thel stood patiently as the Oracle continued its reparations to the device. The human construct, Cortana, as it was called, had been found as the Flood ship, formerly the_ Indulgence of Conviction_, had crashed to Earth.

The Shipmaster, Rtas 'Vaduum, had utilized his ships to retrieve the construct, and had set fire to the contaminated area shortly after. Thel spared a glance from the Oracle's work to observe the human commander. Admiral Hood, he believed his name was. The admiral stood with his posture rigid and uniform, a demeanor that led Thel to respect the man as well as his rank. And yet, Thel could still see visible anger in the human's eyes. Beneath his poised and calm exterior, he was no doubt enraged by the toll taken on his planet by the Covenant and the Flood.

The parasite, as usual, had been quick to spread when it had landed, and as a result of the parasite's tenacity and numbers, much land was lost. Anything that the parasite occupied was glassed indiscriminately by the Shipmaster's forces, and Thel could feel the grievances emanating from the Human admiral.

What a burden it was to carry the fate of your entire race on your back. Thel knew the burden well, though he had only carried it for a short while.

Thel turned his attention from the admiral and examined the atmosphere of the briefing room. Currently, they were all on board the Shipmaster's flagship, the _Shadow of Intent_. Like most of the sangheili warships, it had been forcibly taken from the Covenant's forces during the recent Great Schism. Rtas 'Vaduum and his highest subordinates were present, as well as the human commander, Miranda Keyes, Admiral Hood, and the Demon himself.

Thel gaze lingered on the Spartan. The Master Chief had said nothing since coming aboard the _Shadow of Intent_, and now the Arbiter knew why.

Despite his constant stoicism that only a warrior such as him was capable of, the Demon had formed a kinship with the Artificial Intelligence known as Cortana. Through all of their missions and all of their battles together, they had formed a bond. It was a bond that perhaps originated upon the base of functionality and synergy, but over time, it had grown into more than an alliance. It had grown into a friendship, and perhaps even deeper than that as well.

From what little Thel had learned of humans and their AI, he knew that the construct was capable of residing within the Spartan's mind when they were connected. A shared experience, something that no others in this existence had felt. Not an intrusion into another consciousness, but a welcoming handshake of pathways and information. And through that link, no secrets were kept between the two of them. To a achieve a relationship such as that was to create a bond on a level that had never existed before.

And yet, the undoubtable turmoil the Demon felt now as the Oracle attempted to save her did not show. He was as guarded as ever. It may have been Thel's place to offer some sort of solace in this situation, but he knew there was nothing he could say to relieve the pain that the Spartan felt.

"Will it live, Oracle?" came the Shipmaster's voice from the commander's seat. "Can it be saved?"

"Uncertain," the Oracle replied, pausing in its work to fix its gaze on the Shipmaster. "This device has suffered considerable trauma. Its matrices are highly unstable."

"Perhaps one of _our_ technicians…" offered Lord Hood from the opposite end of the console.

"That will not be necessary," Rtas responded firmly.

Thel could feel the tension between the two commanders. Despite their relatively equal rank among their kind, they still distrusted each other. Their reactions were understandable, however, as it had been only a short time ago when the two would have attempted to slay each other on sight. Thel was interrupted from his thoughts when a hologram flickered to life from the storage device. The hologram depicted that of a human woman. Her skin tone was a bluish hue, and several lines of computer code cascaded down her body.

"Chief!" she said, staring directly at the Demon.

"Success!" the Oracle cried elatedly. The A.I. paid it no attention however as she continued in an urgent tone.

"High Charity, the Prophet's holy city, is headed to Earth with an army of Flood! I can't tell you everything. It's not safe. The Gravemind…it knows I'm in the system."

"It's just a message," the Master Chief said, breaking his silence and turning to look at the Shipmaster for the first time.

"Let it play," Rtas said dismissively.

Thel watched the Master Chief carefully, but he detected no signs of dejection nor sorrow at the realization that his construct was not actually here. If this was only a message, then the construct still remained on High Charity. Endangered as the Gravemind hunted her and tortured her for information about the human home world. It was likely through her that the parasite had arrived so suddenly on Earth. Under torture, she had likely relented…

"But it doesn't know about the portal," Cortana's message continued. "Where it leads. On the other side, there's a solution, a way to stop the Flood without firing the remaining Halo rings—"

The hologram suddenly jolted, and the holographic woman fell to the ground, crying out in pain as she did so. For the first time, Thel saw a reaction from the Demon. The Spartan leaned forward and pressed his fists in the console, obviously tense. Thel could see it even through his armor. His golden visor seemed to be taking her all in, looking for a way to fix her, to save her…but finding nothing, his mannerisms calmed, and Thel watched him for a moment more before returning to the message.

"Hurry, Chief," the message said. Her voice was far weaker now, conveying massive amounts of strain. "The Ark…there isn't much time."

The message abruptly ended there.

"I'm sorry," the Oracle said.

"No matter, Oracle," Rtas said. "We have heard enough."

Turning to his troops, Rtas raised his voice so that all could hear.

"Our fight is through the portal, with the brutes, and the bastard Truth!"

The volume within the room rose dramatically as the present sangheili roared with vigor. Even Thel himself felt the speech stir conviction within him.

"Fine…" came Admiral Hood's voice as the noise returned to its original volume. "We will remain here…Hold out as long as we can."

He was no doubt disappointed that he would no longer have the support of the elites in defending Earth from the imminent Flood invasion, and though Thel sympathized with the human, he had already made his choice long ago. The false Prophet of Truth would die by his hands. Of that, he would be certain.

"Did you not hear?" Rtas said, responding to the human admiral. He rose from his chair for the first time, coming to his full height that towered even over other sangheili let alone the human guests.

"Your world is doomed. A flood army, a _Gravemind_ has you in its sights. You barely survived a small contamination."

"And you, _Shipmaster_, just glassed half a continent," Admiral Hood retorted. "Perhaps the flood isn't all I should be worried about."

The elites in the room all bristled at the Admiral's words, indignant at the human for having spoken so dishonorably to the Shipmaster.

"One single Flood spore can destroy an entire species," Rtas said dangerously. "Were it not for the Arbiter's council, I would have glassed your entire _planet_!"

Whatever the Admiral was going to say next was cut off by Commander Keyes.

"Sir! With respect, Cortana has a solution," the female said steadfastly, fixing the admiral with a pleading gaze.

"Cortana?! Did you see he condition? How damaged she is? She could be corrupted for all we know. Her 'solution' could be a Flood trap!"

"We should go through the portal," Keyes replied. "Find out for sure."

"What we should do, _Commander_, is understand. This is humanity's final stand. Here, at Earth."

His words reverberated with the passion only found when fighting for survival. As Thel recalled, the humans had been doing so since their first encounter with the Covenant, and now, they were backed into a corner. Their final stand awaited.

"We go now, we risk everything! Every last man, woman, and child! If we stand our ground…We might just have a chance…"

"No."

All eyes in the room turned to Thel as he spoke for the first time. As the Arbiter, he had commanded great respect during his service in the Covenant, but now, among the Sangheili, he commanded and even greater amount. The floor was his.

"If your construct is wrong, then the Flood has already won."

The weight of his words settled upon those present. They then realized that without Cortana's solution, then they all would be lost in the oncoming tide of the parasite. Humans, Elites, Covenant, all would be consumed.

The Master Chief stood from his position at the console. He looked at Thel.

"I'll find Cortana's solution…"

He then looked to Admiral Hood.

"and I'll bring it back."

Admiral Hood sighed and lowered his gaze.

"Earth is all we have left. You trust Cortana that much?"

"Sir, yes sir."

The Admiral shook his head.

"This is either the best decision you've made, or it's the worst. Hell, if it is, Chief, I doubt I'll live long enough to find out which."

Admiral Hood then strode from the room. His departure signaled that this meeting was now over.

…

Thel shouldered a few uman weapons in the hangar bay. He had collected some in preparation for their entrance into the portal and was currently in the process of taking them back to the designated 'elite' side of the ship. A few humans looked as though they wanted to protest, but they easily stepped aside out of deference to Thel's imposing aura. Looking across the hangar bay, Thel saw that the human known as Sergeant Johnson was doing something similar with the weapons that the Sangheili had brought with them.

The two strode past each other, each carrying ordinance from each other's respective race, and Johnson offered a subtle nod to Thel as he passed. Thel returned the gesture, and continued walking, setting down the weaponry on a nearby crate.

On the other side of the hangar, the Master Chief and Commander Keyes had come to see their Commander's departure. They were conversing as a human dropship appeared in the hanger, and although Thel knew it was rude to intrude, he could not help but hear a bit of their conversation as the Pelican drew closer.

"I can't say that I approve of your actions, Chief…" the Admiral said. "…but I know that whatever is waiting for you on the other side of that portal, it isn't going to be welcoming you with open arms. You're going to need all the help you can get."

The pelican turned around as it arrived, and Thel watched as the drop door opened wide. A figure stepped down from the now open hatch, and Thel's eyes widened in recognition.

Out of the Pelican had stepped a figure clad in a dark green armor. Like the Master Chief, the armor completely covered the figure's body, though it was previously considered impossible by Thel, this figure managed to be even more imposing than his Spartan counterpart.

It was him. He was the one that had laid waste to Thel's ships during his time as a Covenant Fleet Commander. The human had been there on the planet, Reach. He had reportedly destroyed multiple brigades of Covenant forces, somehow fighting with the strength of an entire human army. Five of Thel's ships had been destroyed by his hand, and Thel had thought him to be destroyed when he had obliterated the fifth ship himself in an attempt to halt the human's rampage. Now, Thel felt a combination of anger and shame at seeing this creature, the original _Demon_ stood before him once again.

Thel immediately forgot his current task and stomped over to where the humans stood. A voice came from the Demon's armor, and Thel heard it clearly as he continued his pace.

"Greetings, I am VEGA. To avoid any confusion, please know that I am not the man inside of this suit, I am merely an Artificial Intelligence that speaks for him. He is known as the 'Doom Slayer'."

"You!" Thel growled. He had finally reached their circle of conversation, and each party present turned at the sound of his voice. He halted a few feet away from the Slayer and glared at him with venomous eyes. His hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"Certainly, you cannot be the same human that laid waste to my ships! Tell me that it is not so!"

The figure in the armor suddenly bristled at the sight of Thel, and it was at that moment that he came to two realizations.

The first realization had stemmed from the figure's posture. At the mere sight of Thel, the armored human had recognized him. Not him specifically of course, but his race, his sangheili stature. In that recognition, Thel knew that a deep loathing had surfaced as well. A loathing that only stemmed from repeated experiences with sangheili in the past. From that, Thel knew that the human that destroyed his ships and the human standing before him now were one in the same.

Thel's second realization came with a feeling of dread. He had made the mistake of approaching this 'Doom Slayer' with open hostility. In the Slayer's mind, the recognition of his race coupled with seeing his anger now had likely culminated into a dangerous mindset. One that would likely mean that the Slayer was about to resort to violence.

Thel's theory was proven correct as the Doom Slayer took a dangerous step towards him. The Master Chief saw the movement and made to intercept, but the voice from the suit of armor halted both of them in their tracks.

"Thel Vadaam," came VEGA's calm and collected voice from the Slayer's armor. Thel was taken aback by how this construct knew his name.

"You were a Fleet Commander within the Covenant during the time that the stronghold of Reach fell. Records suggest that you personally led the invasion with a handful of other Covenant Commanders. You say that five of your ships were destroyed by the Slayer, which is a feat that is on par with his capabilities. It is indeed likely that the Slayer is indeed the one responsible. However, recent ONI files have cited you as an enemy of the Covenant. And now, you are an ally of humanity."

Thel was shocked at the AI's report, and luckily enough for him, the AI's words seemed to calm the Doom Slayer. The figure in green armor held his gaze for a moment longer, then stepped back, his malice ebbing away. It was obvious that the Slayer still did not trust him, but Thel could settle for not being killed instead.

"It seems that I am finished here," Lord Hood grumbled angrily. He was obviously agitated by the mention of Reach, and for good reason. Reach was supposed to be an impenetrable fortress from what Thel had heard from human chatter, but the planet had fallen like all the others to the overwhelming forces that the Covenant possessed. An insurmountable number of Humans had perished with it.

Lord Hood turned and boarded the Pelican, and the bay doors closed shut behind him. The Pelican hovered for just a moment more, then took off, leaving them behind on the ship.

"Wait a minute, VEGA," Keyes said, speaking up. "You're saying that this guy was on Reach when it fell?"

"Yes, I am willing to recount both our experiences in this dimension to all of you if you prefer."

"Please do so."

As introductions continued to be made, VEGA patiently told them all the tale of how both he and the Doom Slayer arrived here. Thel listened intently as VEGA recounted the events of Reach. This man, whose height and physical body were dwarfed by the Spartan and the sangheili, somehow still remained as the dominant force present. His stature was small, but the overwhelming incorruptibility and brutal strength that radiated from his being drew all eyes to him. Thel had only recalled such awe being inspired within him when he had first laid eyes on Halo.

Despite this, Thel reserved his final passing of judgement, as he had yet to truly see the Slayer in action before. As every warrior knew, talk was cheap, and it only held merit when supported by one's actions. Even still, Thel had little doubt that the Doom Slayer would disappoint in his abilities when the time came.

As VEGA finished his story, the human called Keyes spoke up again.

"Quite a story, VEGA. Sounds a little far-fetched to me, but either way, both of you seem to be capable enough to assist us in our mission to stop the Prophet of Truth. I feel like introductions may not be necessary though, since you already knew about the Arbiter."

"Miranda Keyes," VEGA's voice echoed from the Doom Slayer's armor. "Daughter of Captain Jacob Keyes, you graduated with honors from the UNSC Officer Candidate Academy on the colony of Luna. After graduation, you rose quickly to the rank of Commander. According to the records, many believed that your quick ascension through the Chain of Command was due to the influence your father held. However, upon accessing logs detailing your victories against Insurrectionists as well as the Covenant, I conclude that all of your achievements are well earned."

This earned a smile from the female.

"Well, well, I think you and I just might get along VEGA."

"Thank you, Commander Keyes."

The Doom Slayer then met the gaze of the Master Chief, and a sudden intensity fell over the hangar. Thel did not describe the aura as hostile, but he felt an air of judgment between the two soldiers. As when many warriors first met, conversation without words flowed freely between the two of them. While they were considered allies in terms of their war, Thel knew that as it was with him, they two could only truly bond on the field of battle. Only then would the Spartan's trust be given. The same applied for the Doom Slayer.

"John-117. A super soldier birthed from the undercover ONI Spartan Program. Though I still possess limited access to the files themselves, I do know Spartans have proven themselves as extremely capable soldiers time and time again. Your augmented strength and speed have made you invaluable to the UNSC, with your list of accomplishments exceeding all others."

"I have done nothing, but the duties prescribed to me. I do what is necessary to protect humanity," the Master Chief replied.

From the corner of Thel's eye, he saw the Doom Slayer nod almost imperceptibly at those words. The intensity between the two of them suddenly relaxed. And the Doom Slayer held out his gauntleted hand to the Master Chief. The gesture was returned, and the two of them shook hands firmly.

Commander Keyes snorted, eliciting a show of humor that Thel had slowly grown accustomed to during his time with the humans.

"I'm seeing double," she said, placing a hand on her hip as she did so.

"I agree," came VEGA's voice. "Apart from a similar physical appearance, the two of you appear to share a deeper understanding that I am currently cannot place."

"It is the bond of a warrior, VEGA," Thel said. "May it aid all of us and grow stronger as we continue our fight."

The Doom Slayer looked in Thel's direction and nodded once, as if to confirm that he agreed with Thel's words. The hostility was still there, and Thel knew that it may never truly disappear. He had seen it before during his limited time interacting with the humans, and though he resented the way they felt, he could not blame them.

A moment of silence passed, then Commander Keyes spoke up.

"Well, how about I take you two to the Shipmaster? If memory serves, the elites have never quite warmed up to the concept of smart AI, but I think he may like you…"

This time, Thel felt himself share the humor that the Commander portrayed. Even before the Covenant, the sangheili had harbored an abhorrence for Artificial Intelligence, believing that the usage of Artificial Intelligence in place of actual laborers was a great dishonor. That conviction had only grown stronger during their time in the Covenant, and now, with the Great Schism still a fresh event in everyone's memory, his sangheili brothers were slowly growing more comfortable with things such as that. Rtas, however, happened to be one of the proudest sangheili that Thel had met, and he could only imagine how the meeting between VEGA and the Shipmaster could proceed.

_**A/N: Bam! There it is! First chapter locked in tight! At this time, I thought I would give credit where credit is due. The idea that I should write a separate story for a Doom x Halo fic came from a review that was left on Universal Doom when I wrote a chapter that took place during Halo: Reach. A user said that a Doom x Halo crossover was deserving of its own story, and over time, I realized just how correct that statement was (thanks 'Drgyen')! So after a while, I started thinking about how I would do it, and eventually, the story started coming together. Now, with how I write stories, I have no idea if this story will turn out ok or if it will just be a steaming pile of garbage, but either way, I'm going to write it, so wish me luck! For those of you who aren't familiar with me, it is a common theme for me to encourage readers to leave a review on my stories. I find feedback as a great way to improve my writing, and I accept all forms, positive and negative, so please don't hesitate to really give it to me straight! Until next chapter!**_

-_**ImpulsiveWeaver**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_**A/N: Here we go! Chapter 2 is here! I apologize for the long wait between chapters, but my personal life is beginning to rear its ugly head again. With any luck, I can find short breaks in between to get some writing in, so that I can continue to deliver! Remember that I own nothing! Enjoy!**_

Rtas examined the structure with awe as the _Shadow of Intent_ completed its journey through the portal. His entire fleet, with the addition of one human ship, had assembled and entered the gateway which had appeared on the human home world. Now, laid out in a grand and nearly divine display, Rtas gazed upon the massive installation that awaited them on the other side. The structure resembled something like a wheel, spokes protruding outward and curving slightly upward towards him. Upon closer inspection Rtas noted that the gentle curve of the protrusions made the mass look more like a flower than anything else. The structure was fantastically huge, larger even than any of the Halo rings that Rtas had seen before. So large was the structure in fact, that Rtas guessed that one of the rings could rest comfortably on the central portion of the installation.

"Brute Ships!" came the voice of the Operations Officer. "Staggered line!"

Rtas turned from his view of the structure to give his attention to the report.

"Shipmaster, they outnumber us! Three to one!"

Rtas grunted in satisfaction.

"Then it is an even fight," he said to himself before addressing the entirety of his fleet.

"All ships! Fire at will! _Burn_ their mongrel hides!"

…

The Master Chief stood by as the Elite ships engaged the Covenant forces. He, as well as the rest of the human forces that had journeyed through the portal, were all aboard the _Forward unto Dawn_, and were awaiting deployment orders. The _Dawn_ had been the only human ship to traverse the portal with the Shipmaster's forces, and the small Frigate was dwarfed by the hulking size of the Carrier, _Shadow of Intent_.

Currently, the Chief stood onboard a Pelican dropship, prepared at any moment for the go-ahead to deploy. Sergeant Johnson stood beside him, taking a puff from another cigar, deep in thought.

On the other side of the Pelican, the Doom Slayer was silently examining a battle rifle, learning every inch of the weapon with an obviously practiced eye. John watched him as he continued his inspection, wondering what exactly he thought of this new addition to their forces. On one hand, the Slayer was supposedly from a different universe. One where demons and Hell not only existed, but also invaded other worlds and absorbed them into their own. The idea itself was absurd to even entertain, and yet, here stood apparent evidence that such a place truly existed.

On the other hand, John couldn't help but be reminded of his Spartan brethren when he looked at the Doom Slayer. Apart from the full armor and extreme physical prowess, the Slayer portrayed a cool and collected intensity. A surging of will that was kept in control, but when released, would overflow into action. John knew that he should still hold reservations against the Doom Slayer, but he couldn't help but feel a small sense of home when he looked at his armored ally.

His A.I., VEGA as it was called, seemed to be just as otherworldly as he was. VEGA was currently occupying the _Dawn's_ systems at the moment, assisting Commander Keyes with the finer aspects of handling the ship. Up until now, the _Dawn_ had only relied on the usage of dumb A.I. to run its systems, but with VEGA's help, it was now operating at peak efficiency. Commander Keyes had quickly warmed up to VEGA as a result, complementing the A.I. on its superior functionality. VEGA had replied to her praise by informing her that due to the limits imposed by the ship's systems, he was unable to bring all of his subroutines online, but he appreciated that he was able to help in some way.

The comment itself should have come across as snide or boastful at least, but VEGA delivered it in a way that was strictly informative with no prideful undertones to be found, further cementing his status as a force to be respected.

The Master Chief's thoughts were cut short as Commander Keyes' voice crackled from the bridge.

"Truth's ship isn't taking part in the battle! He must have gone to ground."

"Roger that ma'am! We're on him!" Johnson said, and immediately the Pelican became abuzz with activity. Marines and ODST's rushed this way and that to prepare for immediate deployment, strapping down their weapons and securing themselves to the benches. Johnson rushed to the cockpit of the Pelican and took his position in the flight officer's chair.

With a press of a button, the Pelican's drop door sealed shut, its airtight seal sucking closed tightly in preparation for the drop.

"Kick the door," Johnson said, to which the pilot nodded and activated the drop sequence.

On cue, the hangar's floor opened to the vacuum of space, and one by one, the Pelican squadrons were launched downward toward the mysterious installation. The Master Chief grabbed hold of a nearby handle to steady himself as the Pelican's engines roared to life, then marched to the cockpit to get a good look at the forerunner installation that the dropships were quickly approaching. Cortana's solution was down there somewhere. He had to find it, and he had to bring it home, but first, he had to make sure that the Prophet of Truth could not fire the Halo Array. If the Covenant managed to light the rings, then all would be lost.

…

Through the use of extensive evasive maneuvers, the Pelican made its way through the atmosphere of the installation and down to the surface of the mass.

"We good, Hocus?" Johnson asked.

"She's a little cooked sergeant major," the pilot replied. "But she'll hold."

"Alright, pop the hatch."

John returned to the cargo bay just as the drop bay doors opened again on the Pelican, and he received his first close-up view of the terrain for the first time. The Doom Slayer already stood at the open hatch, gazing out over the land that stretched out before them, and the Chief took position beside him.

The current biome that the Pelican was touching down in was that of a mountainous desert. An artificial sun bore down on the landscape, reflecting brightly off of the sand's already yellowed hue. Dunes rolled across the open ground, and from what John could see, the terrain stretched for miles in every direction.

"That's some view…" one of the Marines said in awe.

"Enjoy it while you can, Marines," came Johnson's voice from the radio. "Soon as we land, we are right back to it. Priority one: Secure a landing zone for the Commander's Frigate. And keep your eyes and ears open! We need all the intel we can get about wherever the hell we are…"

The Pelicans shot across the landscape for a few more minutes before slowing to a stop at a landing zone pre-determined by Johnson. The Pelicans lazily drifted closer to the ground, and within a few seconds, the drop ship hovered barely a few feet off the rocky terrain.

"Stand to, Marines!" barked Johnson.

"Oorah!" came a chorus of voices from the cargo bay in response. The Master Chief drew his assault rifle. With that, the small squadron sprang into action and jumped down onto the hard ground below. The Master Chief and the Doom Slayer were the first ones out of the Pelican, and to John's surprise, the Slayer immediately began practicing small unit tactics that mirrored those that he himself had learned in Spartan training. John had known that the Slayer was an experienced warrior, but from what VEGA had told him, he mostly fought alone. And yet, here the two of them were, setting up a defensive perimeter in perfect synchronicity as though they had done it together a thousand times before. No words had been exchanged, no practice had come prior, and no experience had been shared. The two of them just clicked, both working together like two cogs in a finely tuned machine.

"LZ is clear," John said definitively. He spared a glance at the Slayer, who nodded back once in confirmation before scanning the horizon, the battle rifle he had been inspecting before sat readily in his hands.

The rest of the Marines set up position at his words.

"Master Chief," came the voice of the fireteam's leader, Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds. "One of the pelicans went down about two kilometers from here. We need to reach that crash site before the Covenant does."

John wordlessly nodded, and VEGA's voice came on over the COM. The A.I. was still onboard the _Dawn_.

"The crash site is located exactly 1.83 kilometers to the North of your current position. I would suggest you move quickly, as a Covenant convoy is en route to the site as we speak."

"You heard him Marines!" came Johnson's voice over the crackling of the radio. "Get to that crash site."

"Move out!" Reynolds barked, and with that, the column pressed forward, both Master Chief and the Doom Slayer wordlessly taking point at the head.

"Geez," mumbled one of the Marines, Private Dubbo. "It looks like I'm seeing double out here."

The Doom Slayer's head turned and looked at the Marine, and Dubbo immediately stiffened and closed his mouth.

In little time at all, the column crested the nearby hill, the crash site coming into view as John looked down from the top.

The Pelican had landed hard in the sand, and the force of the impact had completely severed one of the wings from the side. The sand around the smoking wreckage was charred and black, and John saw shrapnel peppering every nearby surface.

As the team made their way down the hill, the Chief saw that a few survivors had congregated next to a totaled Warthog.

"There they are!" Reynolds said. "Set up a defensive perimeter, Marines! Dubbo! Enriquez! With me!"

The Marines quickly set up a defensive position around the crash site, and the Doom Slayer investigated the downed Pelican. The Master Chief joined Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds as he approached the survivors. John noted that none had sustained life-threatening injuries, but several possessed broken limbs and severe burns across their bodies. The pilot was conscious and stable, and John listened in as Reynolds knelt down next to him.

"What happened?"

"Anti-aircraft artillery, gunny," the pilot grunted as he struggled to adjust his position on the sand. "This whole damn place is crawling with them. We were lucky that we crashed here instead of into one of those mountains."

"Sit tight, we're getting you out of here," Reynolds said before standing and accessing his radio.

"Sergeant Major," we got a downed Pelican on our position with Covies incoming. We need EVAC for the wounded ASAP."

"Roger that," came Johnson's voice from the COM. "ETA: Two minutes."

"You're gonna have to haul ass faster than that, Sergeant Major, those Covies are gonna be—"

The sound of plasma fire suddenly pierced the still desert air, and John instinctively dove out of the way as the sand he had been standing on suddenly turned to glass.

"Incoming!" Dubbo yelled, taking cover behind the downed Warthog. The Chief joined him and took cover behind the metal as more plasma began to pepper the hull of the vehicle. The heat quickly began to melt the chassis, and John knew he didn't have much time before his cover was turned into a molten puddle. He accessed his motion tracker from his HUD and counted at least thirty Covenant soldiers on their position. The bright red blotches were as numerous as they were threatening on John's HUD. He could fight them off as long as he kept moving, but he couldn't fight the forces and protect the wounded at the same time.

Suddenly, the red marks on his tracker began to disappear one by one, their life signs fading almost as quickly as they had arrived. The Chief glanced out from his cover and noticed that the plasma fire had suddenly ceased on their position.

Instead, the Covenant force was now focused on the Doom Slayer, who had opened fire on them with the battle rifle he was carrying. The Slayer was darting back and forth with blinding speed, every movement bringing him closer and closer to the Covenant force.

The Master Chief's training kicked in less than a millisecond later, and he seized the initiative by opening fire with his assault rifle on the distracted aliens. Their force consisted of a few brute squad leaders and a small horde of grunts to use as cannon fodder. The grunts fell easily enough, and the Chief emptied his magazine into the smaller creatures before switching to his battle rifle.

Following the Slayer's lead, the Chief targeted the brute leaders, firing directly at their lightly armored heads. The first three round burst from his rifle downed the shields of one of the massive jiralhanae, and the next burst dropped the creature completely. Another brute dropped as well from the Doom Slayer's fire, almost halving the brute presence on the battle ground.

John spared a glance to the Slayer to see that he was picking them off with deadly accuracy. In fact, he had yet to miss any of his shots. In that regard, the Chief was briefly reminded of Linda, as she had always been the most accurate of all the Spartans.

The Chief quickly banished the thought, as allowing yourself to get distracted during a battle could kill you in an instant and brought himself back into the fight. The Marines had recovered from their initial shock and Reynolds' voice could be heard barking orders left and right.

"Flank left! Let 'em have it, Marines! We can't let the Chief and the Slayer have all the fun!"

The Marines rallied and opened fire on the Covenant force, quickly turning the tide of battle into their favor.

"Be advised," suddenly came VEGA's voice from the radio. "I'm reading Covenant vehicles converging on your position as well."

As VEGA said that, John saw three Brute Prowlers crest the top of the hill. They were bearing down on them, fast. As they came within range, the plasma turrets on the front of the vehicles opened fire, spewing superheated plasma in at the humans in a steady stream.

"Thanks for the heads up!" Reynolds shouted. "Take cover!"

John quickly spared a glance to the Doom Slayer, who turned to him and gave a slight nod. For the second time that day, they were somehow on the same wavelength. The Chief nodded in return, and wordlessly, the two of them charged the Prowlers.

John bore down quickly on the first approaching Prowler, using the strength awarded to him by his MJOLNIR armor to close the distance almost instantly. The turret gunner had been firing at the Marines in cover and did not see John as he rapidly approached. Just as the Prowler was about to run him over, John sidestepped out of the way and grabbed the frame of the vehicle, swinging himself on board with the crew.

He quickly came face to face with the driver, and while the brute's eyes opened wide in shock, the Master Chief experienced no such hesitation. In a flash, John pulled a fragmentation grenade from his belt and pulled the pin.

"It's the Demon!" the brute bellowed as John tossed the grenade at the startled alien's feet. John did not respond, as he had already pushed off from the Prowler and tucked into a roll to absorb the impact as he landed on the nearby sand.

The Prowler roared away, and the driver cried out and desperately tried to snatch the grenade at his feet, but it was too late. The grenade detonated loudly, and the force of the explosion caused a chain reaction. The Prowler was suddenly engulfed by a blue explosion, and John immediately confirmed the driver and the gunner as KIA.

The Chief quickly whirled around to contend with the remaining Prowlers, but as he took in the scene, he saw one Prowler already in ruins in a nearby dune, both the driver and gunner's bodies were mangled horribly.

The remaining Prowler, while still functional, was unlikely to remain so for long, as the bulky vehicle was now barreling straight toward the Doom Slayer, who was running directly for it as well.

John immediately raised his rifle to shoot at the driver, but before he could do so, the Slayer put on a burst of speed, lowered his shoulder, and struck the Prowler head on. Metal screeched and groaned as the two collided, then the vehicle burst in flame, engulfing both the Slayer and the brutes on board. John's visor compensated for the sudden flash of light, and as it dimmed, he saw what was left of the Prowler. The nose had been completely crumpled by the Slayer's impact, and since the gunner turret was at the front of the Prowler, the unfortunate brute had been crushed by the metal as it yielded to the Slayer's form.

The driver had been thrown from the vehicle by the impact, and the Chief saw that the brute had landed a short distance away. One of its legs was broken, and it was attempting to crawl away as the Slayer approached to finish the job. Dark purple blood stained the sand as the brute continued to crawl, but when it realized that its effort was fruitless, it turned itself on it back and gazed up in bewilderment and anger at the Slayer's emotionless form as he reached it.

"Two…," the brute coughed out, blood staining his jaws. "Two…Demons…"

The brute was then eternally silenced as the Slayer brought his boot down on its skull. The bone caved in, and purple painted the sand even further.

"Holy mother of god…" mumbled Dubbo from the Chief's left side. "I'm starting to see why they call him the Slayer…"

There was a moment of silence save for the burning of Covenant vehicles as all the Marines gaped at the Doom Slayer. As if he didn't even feel their eyes on him, the armored juggernaut bent down and picked up the spike rifle that the brute driver had been carrying on his hip. As he examined the weapon, Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds shook his head, seemingly snapping out of the trance.

"Shake it off, boys! We still gotta EVAC these wounded. Pelican incoming!"

Sure enough, Sergeant Johnson's Pelican arrived on the scene just moments later. The wounded were carefully placed on board, then Johnson took off just a moment later.

"We got 'em aboard Chief. Holy hell…what have you been doing down-?"

"Chief!" interrupted Commander Keyes's voice from the radio. "I'm giving the brutes all I've got, but this is a heavy-weight fight! The _Dawn_ only has the tonnage to last a few rounds. Find me a place to set her down, over!"

"We spotted a good LZ on our way in, sir!" piped up Dubbo, pointing somewhere on the horizon. "If we can salvage a Mongoose or two from this downed Pelican, we can get there."

Wasting no time, the Marines were able to recover enough functioning Mongooses to transport everyone to the landing zone. The small quad vehicles had been damaged slightly by the crash, but they started up and idled well. The Chief jumped on one and started the engine, and Dubbo jumped on the back. The rest of the marines followed suit with their own Mongooses until only one remained. The Doom Slayer hadn't climbed on a Mongoose, and without warning, the armored juggernaut took off running toward the direction Dubbo had previously indicated. The first thing John registered was that the Slayer was not only strong, but _fast_. At the rate he was making, John doubted he would be able to keep up even on the Mongoose, but hesitation was not a trait that John possessed, and with a twist of the throttle, his Mongoose roared over the sand and after the Slayer.

"Pedal to the metal! They're leaving us in the dust, Marines!" yelled Reynolds, stirring a fire beneath the baffled humans and urging them to follow. There was the sound of engines belching, and soon, the Mongoose brigade had fallen in behind the Master Chief.

As the site came into view, the Master Chief's motion sensors picked up activity from the site. In the sky above them, the battle between the Covenant and the Shipmaster's fleets raged on. Plasma arced through the atmosphere, firing between Seraphs and Phantoms as both sides attempted to dominate the airspace. As the zone came into view, John saw that the Covenant currently occupied the area as a place for their anti-air batteries. The small encampment consisted of two guard towers and two Wraiths, each of the anti-air variant. In addition, a small force of grunts and jackals stood as ground support to protect the artillery.

"Marines," John ordered through his radio. "Hit the ground troops hard and fast. The Slayer and I will handle the Wraiths."

"You heard the Chief! Light 'em up!" Reynolds shouted over the roar of the engines.

"OORAH!" the Marines yelled. The Master Chief gunned the engine, and before the Covenant had time to react, the two armored soldiers were upon them. The Wraiths did not have time to turn and engage before the Slayer leapt onto the front of one. The Chief didn't slow down and pinned the throttle as he approached the second Wraith.

"When I jump, take over," John said to Dubbo as he maneuvered closer.

"Aye, sir!" Dubbo said a bit hesitantly.

Using the Mongoose's superior maneuverability, John steered behind the second Wraith and leapt from the Mongoose and onto the back where the armor was the weakest. And of the numerous weak spots that existed on the back of the heavy vehicle, none were more vulnerable than the exhaust vent. The vent itself lead directly to the reactor, and a well-placed explosion in the vent would destroy the entire vehicle from the inside out. As he pulled another frag grenade from his belt, the Chief could hear the sounds of gunfire behind him, meaning that the Marines had engaged the foot soldiers. With no time to lose, John pulled the pin and jammed the grenade firmly into the exhaust vent before leaping free from the hulking metal. There was a brief pause, then the grenade detonated, overloading the reactor and causing the entire vehicle to go up in flames.

John didn't even have time to observe the wreckage, however, as he had already drawn his battle rifle and was currently picking off any remaining jackals and grunts with practiced precision.

He turned to the guard towers to pick off the snipers, but as he lined up the jackal in his sights, a barrage of green plasma struck the tower, melting through its structure and toppling it to the ground.

The Master Chief glanced at the source of the barrage, saw that the Doom Slayer had commandeered the other Wraith and was now using the Covenant's own firepower against them. The sight alone was enough to give the Chief a sense of satisfaction in his new comrade, and he quickly joined in in picking off any stragglers.

With his newfound firepower, the Slayer made short work of the other tower, reducing the metal to magma in the span of a few seconds, just as the Chief and the Marines finished cleaning up the ground units. In record time, the LZ had been cleared, leaving no Covenant personnel to interfere with the _Dawn's_ landing.

"Commander," came Johnson's voice over the COM. "The Chief has cleared the landing zone. Bring her down."

"Roger that," Commander Keyes said. The Chief detected a hint of relief over the static. "Beginning my descent now."

"Look!" Private Enriquez shouted, pointing to something in the sky. "Up high, here she comes!"

"Uh, is the _Dawn_ rated for atmosphere?" Dubbo asked uncertainly.

"Guess we're gonna find out!" Reynolds yelled. "Take cover!"

As if on cue, the UNSC Frigate _Forward unto Dawn _swooped her massive bulk onto the LZ, kicking up a miniature sandstorm as her gargantuan engines blazed to hold her above the ground. The frigate gradually stabilized, and the sandstorm began to die down as the ship fell into a hover. Immediately after, the bay doors of the Dawn began to open, lowering down a platform containing three Scorpion battle tanks as well as a few Warthogs.

"Thanks, Chief. Wouldn't have lasted much longer up there, even with VEGA's help," came Keyes' voice from the bridge COM.

"Indeed," came the voice of Guilty Spark. John looked up to see that the small forerunner A.I. had arrived on the scene. "In fact, it is likely only due to the assistance of your construct that you survived this long at all."

"Anyway," Keyes said annoyedly. "VEGA, have the elites found anything during their recon of this place?"

"They have," VEGA replied over the COM. "The sangheili scouts uncovered a structure roughly five kilometers West of here. After analyzing all information received on the first Halo ring you encountered, I have discovered that this structure matches the description of something you call the 'Cartographer'."

"A Cartographer? Good. That should help us fix the Prophet of Truth's location."

"We saw it too during our fly-over, ma'am," Johnson said from his Pelican. "The only issue is that it's surrounded by brute heavy armor. However, if those Scorpions are for us, I don't foresee heavy armor being an issue."

"Good to hear, Sergeant. And Chief, if you encounter any locked doors, Spark would be happy to pry them open."

"I will certainly try my best," Guilty Spark said. "Although, my knowledge of this installation is rather limited."

The Master Chief nodded satisfactorily and approached the Scorpions as they rolled off the ship.

"Shall I help you choose a vehicle, Reclaimer?" Guilty Spark asked, floating over to one of the tanks. "This one appears to be in very good condition, primitive armor notwithstanding…"

"A tank is a tank, lightbulb…" Johnson grumbled over the radio. "Mount up! Let's roll!"

The Chief hopped on board one of the Scorpions and maneuvered himself into the driver's seat. He closed the hatch behind him, casting the confined cockpit into darkness save for the light of the controls. The tank roared to life around him, and through the viewing screens, John saw that the Doom Slayer had not chosen a vehicle and was currently supporting the column on foot. The Spartan felt himself agreeing with the Doom Slayer's choice, as on foot seemed to be where the Slayer was most effective.

With that in mind, the Master Chief gunned the engine, and the Scorpion lurched forward toward the destination that VEGA had marked.

…

Commander Keyes observed the convoy from the bridge of the Dawn as they roared off into the distance, her gaze focused particularly on a figure that was not in a vehicle but running alongside the convoy at speeds considered impossible by human standards. Keyes shook her head and smirked. The sight would likely be humorous in retrospect.

"I must say, VEGA, I was slightly concerned that your Doom Slayer would have trouble playing nice with the others, but after seeing him in action, I am pleasantly surprised. I thought you told me that he was a lone wolf."

VEGA's holographic symbol appeared on the nearby terminal.

"In all of my experiences with him, he has been. However, the UAC was unable to discern much about his past when he was recovered from Hell, making much of his history into unknown territory."

"You think there were more like him before?"

"As I said, there is no way to know for sure. However, during the time the UAC spent studying Hell, they uncovered an assimilated world called 'Argent D'nur', which was quickly renamed 'The Well'. it was the source of Argent Energy, which is the same energy utilized by the Doom Slayer. While they studied Argent D'nur, it was discovered that it was once home to an order of warriors known as the Knight Sentinels, and though concrete evidence was never uncovered, many scientists within the UAC upheld the theory that the Doom Slayer was once a member of their ranks, fighting alongside them as he fights alongside you now. If such a theory is true, it is likely that the Doom Slayer possesses a wealth of experience in operating with a group, contrary to how he usually operates now. This would offer an explanation as to his counterintuitively easy assimilation into your forces."

Keyes snorted.

"I don't know if 'assimilate' is the right word, VEGA. If anything, I think the Marines down there are adapting to _him_, not the other way around."

"I agree. One observation I have made of the Doom Slayer during my time with him is his uncanny ability to accurately judge the capabilities of not only his enemies, but his allies as well. It is as though he possesses a sixth sense that tells him exactly how powerful someone is, and how much of his strength should be used to aid or attack that person. I find this ability perplexing, as my analysis of the Praetor Suit shows no such function, meaning that it originates from the Slayer himself…"

Keyes smirked. "Well, wherever it comes from, hopefully it can rub off on our boys down there."

…

The vehicular convoy roared over the desert sands. Three Scorpions, accompanied by six Warthogs, rolled across the terrain towards the Cartographer, which was slowly coming into view on the horizon. As the Chief analyzed the structure from the interior of his Scorpion, he heard Johnson's Pelican scream past overhead.

"What's the matter? Couldn't find one you liked?" came the Sergeant Major's voice from the radio, and John realized that he was talking to the Doom Slayer. Johnson was referencing that the Slayer was the only one currently not occupying a vehicle, choosing instead to run alongside the convoy at a brisk jog. Of course, they quickly learned that what counted as a jogging pace for the Slayer was nothing short of an all-out sprint for even the fastest of Spartans. And yet, as John periodically looked over to check, it seemed as though the Slayer never seemed to tire. His posture never sagged, and he seemed to have no issue navigating his way across the sand at his current speed.

"The Doom Slayer possesses stamina and strength far beyond what typical humans are capable of," replied VEGA's voice. "It is likely that choosing to confine himself in a vehicle would only be a hindrance to his maneuverability."

"Is that right? So, I suppose we can expect him to show off more in the—Heads up, Marines! We got brute armor ahead!"

A quick scan on John's HUD showed that Johnson was correct. A battalion of brute heavy armor stood between them and the Cartographer, and the first line of Wraiths had already sighted the approaching convoy. Supporting them were a small squadron of Ghosts as well as a few infantry encampments in between.

"Break off, Marines!" barked Reynolds. "Stay mobile, don't let 'em get a lock on you! Alpha squad, flank left! Bravo, flank right! Chief, if you and the Slayer can take 'em head on, we can get a few shots in on their blind sides!"

John winked his acknowledgement light once, and he gunned the engine as the rest of the formation broke off. In front of him, the Doom Slayer put on a burst of speed and charged at the closest Wraith. The Chief had already seen enough of the Slayer's abilities to know that he didn't need support and turned and aimed the Scorpion's main cannon at the next Wraith in line. The entire hull shuddered as the massive cannon fired, and John was rewarded as the round struck the Wraith. The Chief had aimed for the vehicle's weakly armored cockpit hatch, and the tank round had struck true. The Wraith exploded in a purple fireball as the tank round pierced the reactor, but the Chief had already maneuvered the Scorpion around the wreckage to target the next Wraith in line.

He detected movement on his right and saw that the Doom Slayer had already immobilized his first Wraith as well, and John saw that the entire front of the Covenant vehicle had been melted away, almost as though it was disintegrated. The Doom Slayer was already making a beeline for the next Wraith as well, and the Master Chief noted that he was currently holding a massive weapon that did not match any kind that he had seen before. The weapon was sleek in its design and chrome in its color, and if John had to draw a comparison, he'd liken it to the beam weapons that the Sentinels were equipped with on Halo. However, this weapon glowed with a deep red hue, giving it a powerful and menacing aura.

The Doom Slayer promptly fired the weapon at the next Wraith in line, and a beam matching the red color of the glow burst from the forked end of the weapon. The beam struck the Wraith's plasma cannon, and John watched as the reinforced Covenant metal suddenly began turning to dust from the impact point. Whatever the weapon was, it possessed some sort of ammunition that decayed whatever material it struck, and right now, the decay from the Wraith's turret was rapidly spreading down to the main body of the vehicle. The decay caused the Wraith's levitation systems to fail, and the heavy artillery dropped to the ground with a loud thud, powering down completely. The brute that had been driving opened the hatch and attempted to climb out, but the Doom Slayer was already upon him, jumping on top of the Wraith and delivering a powerful kick to the brute's skull. The force of the blow tore the alien's head from its shoulders, and the brute's body slumped lifelessly against the hull of the Wraith as the head sailed away, blood flinging in every direction.

The gruesome scene drew the attention of the rest of the Wraiths, and each one fired an arc of heavy plasma onto the Doom Slayer's position. The Master Chief realized that the brutes must have been enraged by the killing of one of their pack brothers in such a disgusting fashion, and they had forgone attacking the other humans to instead focus the Doom Slayer. This was a grave mistake, as they had now positioned themselves for a perfect strike to their exposed backs. As they were distracted, both the Marines and the Master Chief made short work of the rest of the Wraiths, the heavy tank rounds easily tearing through their exposed back armor. The Ghosts and infantry stood little chance against the Scorpions and Warthogs, and soon they were disposed of as well.

"Damn!" came Dubbo's voice over the radio. "Doom Slayer beats Wraiths!"

"Eyes up! We've got more trouble incoming!" Reynolds yelled. The Master Chief turned his attention to the commotion to see a large mechanical monster climb over the Cartographer's structure towards them.

"Scarab!"

Now this would present a problem. Scorpions against Wraiths was a victory as long as one knew where to hit them. But when Scorpions went against Scarabs, then there were problems. The mobile death machine that was a Scarab possessed far better armor than Wraiths did, and it would take quite a few Scorpion shots to even put a dent in the Scarab's armor. As if to add insult to injury, Scorpions did not possess the reinforced armor to withstand the sustained heavy plasma bombardment that Scarabs were capable of unleashing. Their only hope was to stay mobile and target its legs. If they could immobilize it, the Scarab could be boarded, then they could kill if from the inside.

"Listen up!" Reynolds shouted. "I need Bravo to take the remaining Warthogs and come—what the hell is that?"

All human attention was immediately drawn to the Doom Slayer, who had put away his beam weapon and was now holding something else. John's instincts told him it was a weapon as well, but physically, it looked more of something like a giant machine. The weapon was almost as big as a human, and the Chief had no doubt that it likely weighed twice as much, though it was difficult to tell since the Doom Slayer appeared to be wielding it with ease.

The Doom Slayer gestured with his arm to the Marines and Chief, waving them back.

"Get away, Marines! Give the Slayer some room."

The vehicle convoy all retreated away as the Slayer hefted the massive weapon to his shoulder. Taking careful aim at the Scarab, John saw him squeeze the trigger before he was jolted by the shockwave of the weapon as it fired. A blazing ball of green light shot from the end of the weapon and screamed across the terrain towards the Scarab. The sand underneath the light turned to glass as it flew, and when it struck the Scarab, the entire Covenant vehicle was engulfed in a piercing green light. A half second later, a thunderous boom sounded across the land, and the Scorpion shuddered as another shockwave shook John to the core.

"Brace yourselves!" crackled Reynolds from his COM as the aftershocks from the blast continued to batter the Scorpion.

The green light then began to fade, and as the viewing screen adjusted, John saw what was left of the Scarab. Whatever that weapon was, it had blasted a hole clean through the length of the walking Covenant tank. The impact had caused the plasma core to overload, and the entire Scarab had imploded shortly after. Metal shrapnel covered the landscape, with some remnants of the Scarab's limbs laying haphazardly nearby. The sand under the wreckage had been glassed completely, and whatever remained of the vehicle had caught fire.

"What the hell was that?" Johnson coughed from his Pelican. The radio contained more static than usual, likely damaged slightly by whatever the hell that weapon was.

"It appears that the Doom Slayer just fired the BFG," came VEGA's voice from the _Dawn_. "Scans indicate a high amount of Argent Energy near your position. And considering that Argent Energy doesn't exist in this dimension, the BFG was the only explanation."

"Save the mumbo jumbo!" Johnson shouted irritably. "Just give us a heads-up the next time you're about to use your little mini-nuke over there! You damn near knocked us out of the sky!"

The convoy quickly checked the impact site for survivors, but they found none as expected. There did not exist much that could survive a blast like that.

"Doom Slayer beats _everything_!" Dubbo said enthusiastically.

"Indeed," came the deep voice of the Shipmaster from the COM. "I saw that explosion from orbit."

There was a slight pause, then the Shipmaster's voice returned again.

"Truth's fleet lies in ruin! Find where the liar hides…so that I may place my boot between his gums!"

"We will know soon enough, Shipmaster," Commander Keyes said from the COM. "Master Chief, take point and get inside the spire, find that Cartographer and get us a fix on wherever the hell we are, then find out where Truth is headed. Be careful, I'm reading a lot of Covenant activity inside.

"Understood," John said, winking his acknowledgment light for good measure. He then led the convoy to the base of the structure, then exited the Scorpion. The Doom Slayer strode up to him as he jumped down, and the two shared a brief nod. The Chief then turned his head to see a single Banshee descending from the sky. The Banshee registered as friendly, and the Master Chief heard the Arbiter's voice from the COM.

"I have come to assist. Let us infiltrate the spire."

The Arbiter landed the Banshee next to them, then the three of them charged up the base of the spire, the Marines following closely behind. Inside, there were numerous Covenant infantry units, but they were quickly disposed of. Navigating the hallways was relatively easy, as Guilty Spark seemed to know the way to reach the Cartographer itself.

"This way Reclaimer," Guilty Spark said as he fiddled with the door controls with his eye beam. After a few more moments, the door opened, and the three of them stepped out onto an observation balcony, the Marines following closely behind. The balcony curved around on itself in a massive circle which was open in the center. Before them, John could see the entire landscape stretch out across the installation.

"The Cartographer," Guilty Spark said satisfactorily as he floated over to a console placed at one end of the balcony. "Come, it awaits your approval."

The Master Chief quickly scanned for any possible enemies, then carefully placed his palm on the console. In response to his touch, the empty space encircled by the balcony burst to life in a massive hologram. The hologram depicted a massive system of stars and planets, all swirling about a center.

"That's…our galaxy," John said. The Arbiter and the Doom Slayer both looked at the hologram with interest.

The Slayer pointed to a spot on the hologram, and John followed his finger to a waypoint that existed just outside the edge of the system.

"We are beyond the rim…"

"Two to the eighteenth lightyears from galactic center, to be precise," Guilty Spark said cheekily. At his words, the hologram zoomed in on the waypoint, replacing the galaxy with a rotating picture of the installation where they currently stood. The protrusions jutted proudly outward, and the Chief examined it for a moment more before turning to Guilty Spark.

"What is this place?"

"The Ark," Spark replied simply.

"_This_ is the Ark?"

"Yes…" Spark said, hovering lazily over the hologram as he spoke. "I had always assumed that it was part of a shield installation, but it seems I was mistaken."

"That's a first."

"Not at all," Spark said, not catching the sarcasm in John's voice. "While I had a complete understanding of Installation 04, my makers wisely limited my knowledge of all other strategic facilities. Compartmentalization - in case I was ever captured by the Flood."

"Can you tell me where we are, exactly?" John asked.

"Here," Spark said, lighting up an area on one of the Ark's protrusions.

"And Truth?"

"Near one of the Ark's superluminal communication arrays, I'm afraid. Unfortunate. The Meddler has triggered a barrier; a defensive perimeter around the Ark's core."

The Master Chief looked up suddenly as two Covenant Banshees made their way past them. They didn't have much time. Covenant forces were not likely to just leave them alone with the Cartographer.

Guilty Spark had not noticed the danger, however, and continued examining the hologram with interest.

"The barrier will be difficult to disable... how odd that my makers would place such a comprehensive defense around a single…oh my."

"What is it?" John asked. But Spark didn't answer.

"Chief!" crackled Johnson's voice from the COM. "You've got a whole mess of brutes incoming. I hope you've got Truth's location because we're leaving. Now!"

As Johnson spoke, the Chief saw his Pelican come into view on the balcony. The Arbiter and the Slayer were already making their way over.

"Spark! Move!"

The monitor seemed startled for a moment then rushed to join the trio as the drop doors opened.

"We must get past the barrier! Or the Meddler will destroy it all!"

Once they were all on board. Johnson gunned the engine, screaming off back to the landing site. Commander Keyes' voice come on.

"Johnson, give me a status report."

"We are clear, ma'am. Falling back to the _Dawn_ now."

"Good, did we pinpoint Truth's location?"

"Yes indeed, however, it will be difficult to reach him…" Spark said.

"Whatever it takes," Keyes interrupted. "Until we kill Truth, stop the rings from firing, nothing else matters. I expect a full report back on the _Dawn_."

**_A/N: In the books! Now, I admit, I was very hesitant to write this chapter from the point of view of the Master Chief. I realize that is how it has been done many times in the Halo novels, but I wasn't sure if this takes away from his mysterious and stoic demeanor. So, I leave it up to my readers to decide! Let me know if this chapter came off as weird or unorthodox in any way because believe me, I definitely want to know! With that being said, I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time!_**

**_-ImpulsiveWeaver_**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_**A/N: Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Welcome to the third chapter of my tale! I really do not have any announcements to make, so let's just get right into the action! Remember that I own nothing, and enjoy!**_

VEGA would never consider himself to be restless in any of his mannerisms, and though he was unable to read the thoughts of others, he was certain that they did not think of him as such, either. However, that did not mean that he wouldn't busy himself with another task as soon as he possessed free processing power. Currently, his chip was back inside the Doom Slayer's suit, and though the suit itself was not capable of fully bringing his systems online, VEGA worked with what little he had.

As of that current moment, the Doom Slayer was aboard a Pelican, one of many in a squadron of dropships from both the elites and humans. A Pelican's engines roared loudly in stark contrast to a Phantom's monotonous drone, and VEGA took time to appreciate the fact that though both machines served the same purpose, there existed far more differences than similarities between them. So many differences, in fact, that VEGA had donated an extremely small portion of his processing power (equivalent to a 21st century supercomputer), to analyzing and filing his observations of the ships' systems. Much could yet be learned by examining the evolution of the technologies wielded by the two types of dropships.

Among the other passengers in the Pelican that the Slayer was in, VEGA counted ten UNSC Marines on board as well as the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer. A total of twelve. Of the ten Marines, three were ODSTs, one was the pilot, and two were noncommissioned officers: Sergeant Johnson and Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds. VEGA had analyzed each of them as well and had learned every aspect of their service history and their accommodations in the span of a microsecond. All were capable warriors, but out of all of them, Sergeant Johnson stood out the most. Apart from the Master Chief, of course.

Johnson, VEGA noted, possessed a beyond superb service record. In addition to having been trained in an unprecedented number of special warfare tactics, Sergeant Johnson had also proven himself to be an exceptional leader on the battlefield, as evidenced by the numerous files that existed on his encounters with both the Insurrection and the Covenant. And underneath all of those heroic exploits and death-defying feats, VEGA quickly learned that Sergeant Johnson was much more than he seemed.

In VEGA's initial delving into Johnson's history, he had discovered a small trail of information. The trail led to a file located deep within ONI's most secure database, and despite the interference of several security A.I.'s, VEGA had effortlessly retrieved the heavily encrypted file and had discovered Johnson's medical records. The records themselves detailed his involvement with something called the ORION Project, of which VEGA learned everything about shortly after. The ORION Project had been humanity's first semi-successful attempt at creating super soldiers, but the project's meager success had been greatly overshadowed by its successor, the Spartan-ll Program. Delving further, VEGA's attention gradually shifted from the ORION project (which was later renamed the Spartan-l program) and focused on learning all there was to know about the later Spartan-lls. Despite the highly unethical methods utilized to create the them, VEGA had already seen their effectiveness through action reports as well as firsthand, and he knew that their sacrifice, while tragic, had singlehandedly saved humanity from certain extinction.

The proof of that, both physically and metaphorically, stood right before VEGA in the form of the Master Chief, and while VEGA would have been content to sift through his heavily redacted files as well, he had purposely refrained as to make sure that enough of his processing power was focused on the mission.

The mission itself, as previously explained by Commander Keyes and Guilty Spark, was to somehow deactivate the barrier that the Prophet of Truth had erected around the Ark's core, infiltrate the Ark's activation citadel, and stop the Prophet before he activated the Halo Array and killed all life within the galaxy. A mission worthy of VEGA's full attention, to be sure.

VEGA accessed the visual sensors on the front of the Pelican and studied the feed as the barrier came into view. The barrier itself was a massive energy dome of nigh impermeability, casting a wide perimeter around the landscape beyond. None of VEGA's scans could penetrate it, and any attempts to down it from the Shipmaster's cannons had proven futile.

As the barrier grew closer, VEGA saw their three targets appear on the horizon. Three spires, each emanating a prominent beam of light that shot infinitely into the sky. These three towers served as generators for the barrier just beyond, and if they disabled these towers, then they could disable the barrier.

"We hit these three generators…" came Commander Keyes' voice over the COM. "…and the barrier will fall?"

"A small section, yes," confirmed Guilty Spark, and VEGA took a brief moment to thoroughly analyze their plan again.

As of this moment, the Prophet of Truth had erected an impregnable barrier to buy himself enough time to activate the Halo array. As aforementioned by Guilty Spark, powering down the three towers would punch a hole through the shield, and according to Guilty Spark's calculations, the hole should be large enough for the _Shadow of Intent_ to fit through. Once the carrier had entered the breach, it would glass the activation citadel that Truth currently resided in. They would take no chances with a ground assault, as the Prophet could prematurely activate the rings if they tried to storm the structure. Therefore, the quickest and safest option was to completely annihilate the citadel itself, destroying not only the Prophet of Truth, but the activation interface as well. It was a formidable plan, though it was relying heavily on a few assumptions made by Guilty Spark.

VEGA had also been fascinated by the Forerunner A.I. as well. The two of them had already had a small number of interactions, and VEGA had found all of them to be mildly pleasant. The Monitor itself was courteous in how it interacted with humans, and VEGA had been pleased to see that those same courtesies extended to interactions with other A.I. as well. However, in his interactions with Guilty Spark, VEGA also had noted that the Monitor's priorities did not quite match that of the humans and elites. Overall, Guilty Spark seemed to prioritize the stopping of the Flood and the protection of Forerunner hardware over the sanctity of life, while VEGA and the rest of the allied humans and elites identified as quite the opposite. At the moment, the varying level of priorities had not given way to argument, but VEGA had discretely noted his concerns to Commander Keyes, who had promised to keep an eye on Spark, lest it attempt to betray them.

"A small section is good enough," Keyes said definitively. "Johnson, drop the Chief and the Slayer at the first generator, then head for the third. The elites will punch right down the middle."

"Roger that, ma'am!" Johnson said from the cockpit. At his words, the Pelicans peeled away from the Phantoms in two groups, each making their way to their respective towers.

"Be advised…" VEGA said, projecting his words on every communicator that identified as friendly. "…I am detecting multiple instances of Covenant activity at each generator. We will likely have to contend with strong resistance—"

"Charlie Foxtrot!" cursed the pilot of VEGA's Pelican. "Tower one's approach has active triple-A!"

The pilot's exclamation was immediately confirmed truthful as the sky suddenly came alive with anti-aircraft fire. The Pelican immediately took evasive maneuvers, and though the pilot was able to dodge most of the explosive plasma, the Pelican next to them had not been so lucky. VEGA pulled up feed of the other Pelican just as one of the plasma rounds struck it just behind the wing. Immediately the pilot lost control, and the Pelican fell into a dive as flames burst from the impact area.

"Mayday!" the pilot cried out. "I can't control her!"

"Pelican down! Pelican down!"

"Brace yourselves, we're going in a little hot!" Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds bellowed as the drop hatch of the remaining Pelican opened. The beach head appeared through the now open hatch, and the inhabitants of the Pelican immediately made visual contact with the ground anti-air units. A half a second later, the Pelican set down hard, jarring everyone within.

"Pile out! Go, go, go!"

As VEGA expected, both the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer were the first ones out of the Pelican. While the two of them quickly disposed of the imminent Covenant forces, the rest of the Marines filed out behind.

"Push toward that anti-air Wraith, Marines! We gotta clear it for the Sergeant Major!"

With their new objective obtained, the Marines surged forward with vigor towards the Wraith's encampment, led from the front by both the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer. In almost no time at all, they had cleared the supporting infantry and reached the Wrath, whose plasma cannons were vehemently ripped off by the Doom Slayer. The driver did not last much longer.

"Beachhead secure, Commander. Hostile anti-air has been neutralized," Reynolds said. His voice was slightly flustered, and VEGA deduced that it was likely due to the show of strength that the Doom Slayer had displayed mere moments before. The humans of this reality were still unaccustomed to such herculean feats, despite the fact that they had Spartans who were very similar in stature.

"Hold tight, gunnery sergeant," came the voice of Commander Keyes over the radio. "I'm on my way with support. Shipmaster, begin diversionary bombardment!"

VEGA had visual contact with the _Shadow of Intent_ ever since arriving on the ground. The sangheili carrier loomed in the lower atmosphere, ready at any moment to act.

"I will beat the Prophet's shield like a drum. By the time the barrier falls, he will beg for mercy!"

The _Shadow of Intent_ then came to life, firing wave after wave of plasma ordinance at the barrier. The supercharged rounds crashed and burned against the shield, but the barrier held. The technology of the Forerunners was far beyond anything humans or elites possessed, and the barrier barely even shuddered against the Shipmaster's bombardment.

"Damn…" came the disappointed voice of Private Dubbo. "I had a small amount of hope that the elites could take it down."

"Eyes up, boys! The Commander is here."

On cue, a Pelican piloted by Commander Keyes herself swooped down with reinforcements. A few more Marines, as well as a Warthog and a few Mongooses, were dropped from the cargo hold. They landed with a satisfactory thud on the ground beneath.

"I don't understand," one of the Marines said out loud. "Why is the Commander acting as a pilot, now? A little below her rank isn't it?"

VEGA responded.

"It is likely that Commander Keyes is acting out of a shortage of able-bodied individuals. The _Forward unto Dawn_ has suffered heavy casualties ever since arriving on the Ark, and it is necessary that all remaining personnel take on any extra duties."

"Oh…"

VEGA knew that death was a sensitive subject for humans. In a way, VEGA supposed death should have been a sensitive subject for himself as well. After all, the A.I. was the only one present who had experienced death before.

"Focus!" Reynolds barked. "Everybody mount up! We got about half a click to the tower, and the elites are already getting to the second. Now, are we gonna let them beat us to it, Marines?"

That seemed to stir the fires of competition among all present, and all of them stood a little taller and immediately became alive with energy.

"No sir!" they all shouted.

In a span of a few seconds, the Marines all climbed aboard a vehicle, and all were making way to the first tower. The Doom Slayer, of course, stuck to his usual tactic of remaining on foot, running in the middle of the column in order to easily intercept attacks from all sides.

"Spark believes that Truth can activate the rings at any time," Keyes said over the radio. "If he does, every being in the galaxy…Halo will kill them all."

The weight of her words hung over the column of vehicles, sharpening everyone's focus and reminding them of the gravity of their mission.

As they rounded the next bend, their objective came into view. The tower lay ahead, and as expected, it was guarded by heavy Covenant forces. However, the combined agility of their mobile group plus support from the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer gave them the necessary advantage to quickly wipe out the initial force, allowing them to quickly abandon their vehicles and infiltrate the structure.

"Stick together, Marines! Check your corners!" Reynolds said as they entered. Inside, the ground level of the tower opened up into a massive chamber. As with all other structures that originated on the Ark, this one boasted the sleek chrome design that VEGA had found so intriguing ever since arriving on the installation.

All of VEGA's attempts to delve into the Ark's systems had produced mixed results. On one hand, the Ark possessed enough knowledge on technology and ancient forerunners that could keep VEGA busy for decades. What the forerunners had done with their amazing technology was as fascinating as it was puzzling, and while VEGA was still learning more about the details, he had deduced that long ago, the forerunners had been at war with an incredibly powerful force. Some description logs matched humanity's files on the Flood, but there were some instances where it didn't match up at all. It was as though the forerunners had been fighting against something else prior to their encounters with the Flood. Something much older…

Setting that train of thought aside for later, VEGA once again at just how much information could be salvaged from the forerunner systems on the Ark. The wealth of knowledge it offered could offer a possible solution to the demons that plagued VEGA's own reality, and perhaps could offer an energy source even more efficient and readily available than Argent Energy. The only issue came in the form of compartmentalization. The Ark possessed numerous isolated networks that only acted locally, and though they connected to each other, they used a system that VEGA could not access entirely, at least, not in his current state. Perhaps the A.I. that the forerunners had used were capable of using the pathways, but VEGA doubted that even he could match up to what they could do.

As the force moved into the main chamber, VEGA noted that a massive platform stood in the center of the room. The platform looked to be an elevator of some kind, likely leading to the top of the tower where the control systems were. From there, they could shut down the tower and lower the shield. That was their goal.

As they moved into the chamber, two massive figures suddenly emerged from behind the platform. To an untrained eye, they might have appeared to be some kind of mechanical giant, but VEGA matched their profile instantly. These two giants where some of the Covenant's greatest assets in ground combat, capable of resisting nearly all forms of damage that humanity ground combatants could induce. In addition, their gargantuan size gave them strength beyond that of any other race in the Covenant, which was the reason that each giant currently held a massive fuel rod cannon on one arm and a shield as large as a human in another.

These two were of the race known as the Lekgolo. A species of small worm-like creatures that could combine with themselves to create a larger body such as the two in VEGA could see here. These particular forms were the most frequently documented among the files of Lekgolo VEGA had read, implying that humanity had scarce interactions with any other Lekgolo forms apart from these. According to the data, these particular forms were called Mgalekgolo, or more commonly…

"Shit! We got _Hunters_!"

…indeed.

"Fall back!" Reynolds bellowed as the two massive aliens leveled their cannons at the group. The marines scattered in response, diving out of the hunters' line of sight.

"Alright, precision shots, boys!" Reynolds yelled out as he ducked behind a pillar. "Nothing short of a rocket is gonna pierce that armor, so we gotta hit em between the cracks!"

"That will not be necessary, Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds," VEGA assured, drawing such a conclusion from watching the only two individuals that ran _toward_ the hunters when they appeared.

The two moved in tandem with each other with a cohesiveness and synchronicity that VEGA still found baffling. Despite their lack of communication, the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer had wordlessly picked their own hunter to contend with and had fearlessly charged the creatures. VEGA's bafflement quickly turned to interest, however, when he realized that this would be an excellent time to analyze their fighting styles and see how they contrasted each other even when they faced the same enemy. Rarely did events ever play out in such an experimentally controlled fashion.

As VEGA watched, the Doom Slayer reached behind himself and pulled out his super shotgun for the first time since arriving on the Ark. He held the weapon with a confidence that could only be achieved through a life of bloodshed, and as the hunter raised its shield arm high to crush him, VEGA was once again presented with evidence as to just how dangerous the Slayer really was.

As the hunter dropped its arm to strike, the slayer rushed forward and fired the shotgun into the exposed midsection of the hunter. The blast blew chunks of lekgolo out of the back of the larger form, and the hunter let out a deep rumble of agony before instinctively hunching over to protect the damaged region. The Slayer had obviously anticipated the movement however, and when the hunter's head came lower, the Slayer forcefully jammed the shotgun into the exposed "neck" of the alien. There was no hesitation as he fired again, blowing the hunter's "head" from its body and showering everything nearby in a generous dosage of neon orange blood. The now lifeless hunter fell to the ground with a loud boom and remained still.

The Master Chief had undergone a slightly similar approach, choosing to duck under and behind the hunter when it swung for him. With the beast's back exposed, the Master Chief had pulled a grenade from his belt and shoved it deep between the individual worms that composed the main body. Though the Chief's movements were slower than the Slayer's by a noticeable margin, it made little difference given the fact that the Chief was still far more agile than the hunter he was fighting.

Diving clear, the Master Chief turned his visor to the side as the midsection of the hunter exploded. A second wave of bright orange fluids coated the wall, and only after it had splashed everywhere did the Chief turn his head to examine his handiwork. What remained of the hunter's body and armor was scattered throughout the room, traces of it everywhere along the walls and the floor. It was as though a painter had splattered it on with the intention of leaving no part of the canvas blank. The Master Chief had been wise to turn away, as the bright orange residue would have likely ended up all over his visor as well if he hadn't.

Comparing the Chief's actions with the Doom Slayer's, VEGA noted with subdued irony that this was perhaps the first instance in which the Master Chief's methods had proven to be more violent than the Slayer's. To VEGA's knowledge, no one else could claim such a feat.

The Master Chief gave the all clear, and the Marines emerged from their cover, their faces showing a combination of relief and disbelief at the scene before them.

"You know," Dubbo asked as he attempted to kick a chunk of the hunter's armor, stubbing his toe in the process. "My mum always told me that if I eat my vegetables, I could grow big and strong enough to lift a car, but I never believed her…"

Dubbo shook his head and spared a glance at the Chief and the Slayer.

"…but as soon as we get back to the Dawn, I'm eating nothing but spinach!"

"It'll have to wait, Dubbo!" Reynolds said. "In case you forgot, we gotta save the galaxy first!"

Reynolds called over to where the Master Chief stood by the Doom Slayer.

"Chief! Slayer! You two take that lift up and shut down this tower! We'll remain down here and make sure you don't have any uninvited guests."

The two of them nodded and wordlessly boarded the platform. The Master Chief pressed a button on the console, and with a slight hum, the platform began to rise. VEGA detected Covenant heat signatures at the top and relayed the information to the two of them, though he doubted that it would have an effect on the outcome of the encounter.

VEGA's prediction was proven correct when the platform reached the top, as the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer made short work of the brutes that were guarding the terminal. VEGA continued to watch them as they combated the enemy, continuing to make notes on every move the two of them made. He documented everything he witnessed even as he watched the Doom Slayer stab a brute through the eye with its own spike rifle.

A minute later, the master chief strode past the deceased brute force and pressed a button on the forerunner terminal, powering down the tower and completing their mission.

"The first tower has been deactivated, Commander Keyes," VEGA called over the radio.

"Good work!" Keyes said back. "The elites should be on the verge of shutting down their tower as well."

There was a massive glass window right next to the terminal, giving the three of them an uninterrupted view of the other two towers as well as the activation citadel behind the barrier. It was so close, and yet still so far at the same time. Striding over to the window, both the Chief and the Slayer watched as the beam from the second tower blipped and died, signaling its deactivation as well.

"That's two," Keyes said. "Johnson! Only your tower remains, what's your status?"

The radio suddenly came alive and crackled as Johnson's voice yelled over the static.

"Shutting down the tower now, ma'am! But Brute reinforcements have us pin-"

Johnson's voice suddenly cut out momentarily before returning.

"-heavy casu—request immediate e—can't—"

The radio failed once again.

"Johnson!" Keyes shouted. VEGA could detect desperation and worry in her tone. "Johnson, respond!"

The radio was silent, and a moment of tension passed before the light from the third tower flashed and died. With all three towers down, the barrier sputtered and died, leaving no more obstacles between them and the activation citadel. The Prophet of Truth was inside, and both Spartan and Slayer alike watched as the _Shadow of Intent_ seized the opportunity and passed through the now open airspace and into position above the citadel.

"The Prophet's end has come," the Shipmaster's voice rang out with conviction. The main glassing cannon began to whir to life as the carrier moved into position.

"May you realize the folly—by the Gods! Is that…?"

A massive slip space rupture suddenly tore a hole through the fabric of space-time above the Ark, and as all observed with shock, High Charity, the Covenant's former Holy City, roared through the warp. The city was gargantuan, and VEGA was certain that at some point in the past, it would have been glorious in its appearance. Unfortunately, the entire city was now covered in a rotten biomass, and as High Charity flew overhead, numerous shapes fell down to the Ark in its wake.

"But how…? I—Brace for impact!" the Shipmaster bellowed just as two of the larger shapes, roughly the size of a frigate, struck clean through the carrier's midsection. The _Shadow of Intent_ immediately listed to the side, purple fire already blazing in the damaged areas of the ship. The carrier fought to remain airborne, but VEGA already had run numerous damage estimates from the moment the ship had been struck, and he knew that chances of remaining airborne were quite nearly negligible. A safe landing was not impossible, but the Shipmaster would have to take immediate action to do so.

"Shipmaster! Are you alright?" Keyes shouted. "What's your status?"

"Significant damage!" Rtas said back, his strained and aggravated voice cutting through the static. "All weapons systems have been disabled. We must make an emergency landing!"

"Get clear first!" Keyes barked. "You've got to get as far away from the Flood as possible."

"ARGHH!," the Shipmaster growled in agitation "Why would the parasite come _here_?!"

VEGA had already generated a theory on the subject. He had studied every shred of information on the Flood and had developed a thorough understanding of how the parasite operated.

"It is likely that the Flood has come here as a failsafe," he responded. "According to Guilty Spark, this Ark is out of the blast radius of all the other Halo rings. If the Prophet of Truth were to successfully fire the array, the parasite would no longer be destroyed. As they now have a considerable force outside the potent range of the Halos.

"With the Ark out of range, we cannot utilize the installations to terminate the Flood!" came Guilty Spark's frantic voice, confirming what VEGA had just said. "We must contain this outbreak at once!"

"No!" Keyes said definitively. "First, we stop truth. Then, the Flood."

Guilty Spark made no comment in response.

"VEGA, can you pinpoint Johnson's vitals? Is he ok?" Keyes asked.

"He is still alive, Commander Keyes," VEGA said as he accessed the bio-reading equipment installed in every Marine's armor. "Judging from the strength of the signal, it is safe to assume that he had been captured by Covenant forces. If my theory is correct, then they will likely use him to activate the Halo array, given that forerunner technology only seems to respond to human interaction."

"And the rest of his squad?"

"Deceased, I'm afraid."

"Damn…Chief! Slayer!" Keyes continued. "Get back down to the surface! With the _Shadow of Intent _out of commission, your team will need to storm the citadel and stop Truth from activating the rings! With the Flood here now, it will only put more pressure on him to light the array!"

Both Spartan and Slayer alike made quickly for the elevator, but before they could reach it, two massive biomass pods the size of tanks crashed through the window and into the room. As they landed, the pods themselves burst open, and from their grotesque depths emerged several corpses reanimated by the Flood. Blood-curdling screams and roars filled the air, and VEGA watched intently as he gazed upon live Flood specimens for the first time.

VEGA suddenly registered a change from the Doom Slayer's armor. The Praetor Suit seemed to be growing warmer, no, it was the Slayer himself that was heating up. It was as though he was awakening with anticipation, the sight of the Flood inciting a deeper bloodlust within him. And as his fingers clenched tightly around the shotgun within his grasp, VEGA, as well as the Master Chief beside him, suddenly felt an intense aura pulse from the Doom Slayer in droves. His presence suddenly became overpowering, almost physically pushing against everything else in the room. The Flood had awakened something within him, something that only came to the surface when battling an enemy of such a destructive caliber. VEGA accurately conjectured what would happen next, for if his previous experiences with the Slayer had taught him anything, he knew that it was once again time to rip and tear, until it was done.

_**A/N: All done! (With this chapter I mean) Originally, I was planning on breaking up my chapters like how the missions in the Halo 3 campaign were broken up, but I decided to split them up a little bit, as each chapter would get rather long and there would be a longer period between them. As always, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know how you feel about the chapters, my writing, how excessively I use exclamation points...etc. by leaving a review or messaging me personally. I love to hear from those that read my stories. With nothing else to say, I'll be heading out! Until next time!**_

_**-ImpulsiveWeaver**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_**A/N: Like dude, welcome back to a brand new installment of the story! Before we begin, I must apologize profusely for the gap between chapters, as quite a bit has occurred in my life over the past few months. I sincerely hope that you don't harbor hatred for me for making you wait! Hopefully now I can get back to a more structured schedule. Remember that I own nothing and enjoy!**_

"Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds, what's your location?" Keyes called.

"We're mounted up and double-timing it to the citadel, ma'am!" Reynolds called back into the COM. "ETA: two minutes!"

"Roger that, are the Chief and the Slayer with you?"

"Chief's with us, but the Slayer…"

"The Slayer and I have both gone ahead to clear a path for the Marines," cut in VEGA's voice. "Removing any Flood between our forces and the citadel will accelerate our plans."

"VEGA, be advised," Keyes said warningly. "The Flood is not to be trifled with. The Doom Slayer may be tough, but don't forget that this is the same parasite that drove the Forerunners to extinction."

"I…wouldn't worry about that, ma'am," Dubbo said shakily. His face had lost some of its color, and he looked as though he could lose his lunch any second. "When the Slayer saw the Flood, it was like something snapped, like a painful memory was triggered or something. He…he just went berserk."

"Berserk? What happened? Is everyone alright?"

"No casualties to report from our end, ma'am," Reynolds reassured. "But the Flood…"

Reynolds shook his head.

"He left quite a mess back there."

John agreed. He currently was back in the driver's seat of the Scorpion heading the column, which was currently rolling through a tunnel in the mountains to reach the citadel just beyond. He had felt it the moment the Slayer had laid eyes on the Flood. One could say that he hated them, but that word alone did not have enough magnitude describe his loathing. It felt as though the Flood's very existence was an insult to the Slayer, and the only cure was to destroy every last one of them with extreme prejudice. And the Doom Slayer had done just that.

Despite how feral and powerful Flood combat forms were, the Doom Slayer had torn through them as though they were nothing. It was almost as if he was expecting more out of them. And when they didn't meet his expectations, it almost seemed to make him even angrier, and he had set upon the Flood with a vengeance after that. John's intuition had told him to just stay out of the way, and that had turned out to be a wise decision, as anything that stood in the Slayer's way was eviscerated. When they had returned to the Marines at the bottom of the tower, they had been fighting against Flood that had come through the ground level, and the Slayer had taken care of them as well.

"Your concern is appreciated, Commander Keyes," VEGA responded. "However, after observing the Flood firsthand as well as study report logs from Earth's database, I have concluded that while still extremely dangerous, the Flood lacks the same caliber of physical prowess and sheer numbers that the demons of Hell do. The Doom Slayer and I are not likely to meet an obstacle we cannot overcome."

As with before, VEGA's words could have easily portrayed an undertone of superiority or arrogance, but didn't. He spoke as if it were only facts, nothing else. That didn't stop Reynolds from snorting in annoyance.

"Oh yeah? And I suppose humanity from your world is just so much better than we are too, huh?"

"On the contrary, Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds," VEGA responded calmly. "Humanity from our dimension has not undergone as much hardship as humanity from yours. The constant threat from the Covenant as well as the Flood has taken a very heavy toll, but it has made you stronger in the process. Your Marines possess a greater wealth of experience and capability than the military operatives that the UAC employed on Mars. Were they in your position, they likely would not have made it this far."

This improved Reynolds' mood tenfold, and the Master Chief heard him chuckle into the radio. Dubbo let out a whoop from his spot in the warthog, color already returning to his face.

"You hear that, sir? The A.I. from another dimension thinks we're the real deal!"

"I heard it, Dubbo. Now let's see if we can keep that legacy going. If this Prophet lights those rings, then our superior humanity gets wiped out! Step on it!"

There was an echoing roar from all engines present as the convoy all accelerated forward. Soon, the tunnel opened up out into a valley. On all sides, the mountains stood as a natural barrier. And in the valley below, the citadel stood, and inside, the Prophet of Truth.

"Citadel in sight!"

In the skies above, plasma arced through the air in every direction, the _Shadow of Intent's_ remaining troops fighting valiantly against the brute defenses. Despite the obvious skill gap between elites and brutes, the Shipmaster's forces were simply outnumbered. Each pilot could only fight so many at a time.

"Look alive down there! Hornets inbound!"

From the tops of the mountains, John could make out the small shapes of the UNSC's own aerial assault vehicles. Hornet hovercrafts, armed with both chain guns and rockets, entered the fray, scattering the brute formations and giving the elites some breathing room.

"Brutes are mobilizing everything they've got, Marines! Standard formation, frontal assault! We've got to get inside before—"

Reynolds was immediately cut off as not one, but two Scarabs were airdropped into the valley between the column and the citadel. The two Covenant super tanks hit the ground hard, but immediately became active and aimed their cannons at the approaching convoy.

"Scatter!" Reynolds bellowed. "Flank behind and hit 'em in the legs! If we don't take these things down, we'll never get inside that citadel."

"Gunnery Sergeant, what's the situation down there?" Keyes asked.

"We got two Scarabs ma'am. I repeat, two Scarabs!"

"Damn it! VEGA, are you and the Doom Slayer close by? Can you assist?"

"We are within visual range and are moving intercepting the southward Scarab now."

"Southward?" Reynolds said confusedly. "Are you approaching on foot? I can't see you."

As Reynolds said that, John noted that one Banshee peeled away from the fighting and dove directly down towards the Scarab from above. The Scarab had not taken notice and was currently charging its main cannon in an attempt to fire into the scattered convoy.

"Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds," VEGA said. "I advise you move your personnel to a minimum safe distance from both Scarabs. The blast radius will be quite large."

"Wait," Reynolds said, noticing the dive-bombing Banshee for the first time. "Is that…?"

Right as the Scarab was about to fire, the Banshee rammed it at full speed, colliding directly with its main cannon and starting a chain reaction that caused the entire front half of the Scarab to detonate. The explosion was bright on the viewing screen from inside the Scorpion, and as the light dimmed, John saw movement in the wreckage. Reynolds seemed to notice it too.

"You heard the bot, boys! Get away and watch the fireworks!"

"Be advised," VEGA said, broadcasting on all friendly frequencies. "BFG firing will commence in 3…2…1…"

A ball of light burst from the wreckage of the first Scarab and shot over the landscape towards the second. The snow beneath the light melted instantly as it screamed towards its target.

"Take cover!" Reynolds bellowed. Immediately after, the light struck the second Scarab, and as with before, the shockwave pounded against the hull of the Scorpion. The viewing screen flashed a bright green, and a thunderous boom echoed throughout the valley.

The light suddenly dimmed, and as expected, the Scarab lay in complete ruin. Barely any of it remained, as it had before.

"Everybody green? Sound off!"

One by one, all the Marines sounded off that they were okay. The blast had been much closer this time, and John saw its aftereffects from the Scorpion. The viewing screen had lost some of its resolution, and every now and then, it would flicker for a brief second.

"We're good to go. Thanks for the assist!" Reynolds shouted. "Commander, both Scarabs are down."

"Excellent news. Reynolds, from a blockade and pick off any stragglers. Chief, link up with the Slayer and get to the citadel. The Arbiter will meet you there."

"Understood," John said as he maneuvered the Scorpion towards the building. As the citadel drew closer, John saw a forerunner platform standing a short distance from the building. At first, it looked to be some sort of pedestal. As he watched, a friendly Phantom dropped down as he arrived at the platform, and the Arbiter emerged.

"Spartan! Slayer! Come to me. The Oracle will activate a platform to allow us access inside the citadel."

John exited the Scorpion and climbed the platform, the Slayer arriving not shortly after. The Arbiter stood waiting, Guilty Spark hovering alongside.

"The Flood approaches from the far side of the citadel! We must hurry! The prophet will die by _my_ hands, not theirs!"

The Slayer turned to look at the citadel at the mention of the Flood. VEGA spoke up.

"I advise that we split up. The Doom Slayer and I can move to intercept the Flood on the far side of the citadel while you two move inside and neutralize the Prophet. That way, we can buy you more time."

There was a brief moment of silence as VEGA's proposal was considered, then both John and the Arbiter shared a look before nodding in agreement.

"Very well. Go with many blessings, Slayer" the Arbiter said, nodding once more to the silent juggernaut.

The Slayer returned the gesture, then took off for the far end of the citadel, already readying another weapon as he ran.

"Quickly Oracle!" the Arbiter exclaimed as the Slayer rounded the far wall of the citadel. "Activate the bridge!"

Guilty Spark hastily complied, and a bridge of hard light suddenly burst to life before them, connecting the entrance of the citadel to the platform they currently stood on.

"Come, Spartan!" the Arbiter yelled, breaking into a sprint across the bridge. "Let us finish this!"

Nodding imperceptibly, John took off after the Arbiter, running full-tilt to the only thing that could save or kill them now.

As they charged into the citadel, John saw that numerous viewing screens were present in the halls, and as he ran, each one suddenly burst to life, displaying the Prophet of Truth's face as he began broadcasting on every frequency.

"Stand firm!" the Prophet spoke, gesturing to the heavens with his arms. "Though our enemies crowd around us, we tread the blessed path! In a moment, I will light the rings, and all who believe shall be saved!"

John put on a burst of speed before skidding to a halt at the platform at the end of the hallway. With no hesitation, he jammed his fist against the console, and the platform began to rise. The elevator was slow, painfully so in fact, and as John watched one of the viewing screens present, he saw Truth step aside to reveal Sergeant Johnson, bruised and bloodied and struggling against the grip of a massive brute chieftain. VEGA's theory was correct. Truth was going to use Johnson to light the array, and he was mere moments from doing so.

"Chief! How close are you?" Keyes' voice sounded in his ear. John looked up and saw just how far the platform had to go before it reached its destination at the top. He caught the Arbiter's gaze and shook his head grimly.

"Not close enough."

…

Keyes grit her teeth at the Master Chief's words. From the cockpit of the Pelican, she looked down and spied the citadel on the ground below. Covenant forces pressed forward in droves in an attempt to charge the citadel, but the remaining humans and elites stood fast, holding all of them at bay to buy the Master Chief and the Arbiter more time. But if Truth lit the rings before Chief could get to him, then all their efforts were for naught.

Making a split-second decision, Keyes jerked the controls of the Pelican and divebombed toward the citadel. The Pelican's engines screamed and redlined, but Keyes didn't care, choosing only to focus on the task at hand.

…

The Gravemind rumbled angrily throughout its entire consciousness, a consciousness that was in possession of over half a million forms. It had endured through the eons to gather enough biomass to build itself, and when the children of its enemy had arrived on the ring, it had been given a new and generous supply. With the number of bodies that the Gravemind now possessed, it should have been able to easily infiltrate the citadel. And yet, something stood in its way. Something that reeked of death and delivered carnage, and yet, was physically no larger than a single one of the Gravemind's forms.

Whatever this creature was, it had intercepted the Gravemind's force as it attempted to scale the walls of the citadel. And despite its singularity, it had set upon the Flood forms with the force with the magnitude of thousands. Each and every attempt to climb the structure failed as the creature disabled forms faster than they could be replenished. It stood as an immovable object. A constant against the tides of fate, an equal and opposite to the Gravemind itself.

It, being one and of concentrate, held at bay the forces of the many and disseminate. The Gravemind had only just encountered such a being, but knew that it allied with the humans that were present on this Ark. Did it not know of the destruction that threatened to entrope them all? Of the very little time they had remaining to stop the key from turning? Did it not care?

The Gravemind reached out to the creature, speaking through a form that was present with it.

**"Heed my words, or our foe wi—"**

The attempt at communication was cut short as the creature blasted through the form. Unperturbed, the Gravemind immediately utilized all forms present, willing them all to back away and cease their advance. The creature dispatched a few more forms before turning to the remaining force that kept at a distance. The Gravemind spoke once more, this time through each present form simultaneously.

**"Do ****_not_**** shoot! But listen! Our destruction has been set in motion, but we can halt that fate if we fight as one. As foes, we perish, but allied, we flourish."**

The creature stayed its hand for but a moment, but then answered the Gravemind's call to fellowship by firing anew upon the horde, and in the ensuing battle, the creature managed to destroy every Flood form in the immediate vicinity. The Gravemind rumbled in anger once more as it called upon more forces from farther away. Even in its haste, it would not arrive in time to stop the sequence. The creature had made sure of that. Leaving no other choice, the Gravemind called out to all the biomass it currently held near the citadel. It had to have control, or its history would be doomed to repeat.

As the Flood surged to its will, the Gravemind regarded the creature with increasing wariness as it realized just how powerful this being was.

In raw power that this creature possessed and the nigh impenetrable exterior armor that it utilized, the Gravemind saw the potential of the Flood's undoing. Apart from the Halos, the Gravemind had never encountered such a threat to its existence before. No matter the number of foes, the creature always emerged victorious, and in its victory, it never even seemed to tire. That hinted at the possibility of immortality to the Gravemind, and apart from digital intelligences, nothing except the Flood could be considered immortal, meaning that if this creature was to be its enemy, then it would be so until one of them was destroyed. And given their interactions so far, the Gravemind knew which of them would likely bend. The Flood horde had already lost hundreds of bodies to the scourge of this monster, and yet despite the Gravemind's efforts, the creature had not yet suffered a single scratch.

For one of the very few instances that had ever occurred, the Gravemind felt a shudder of fear ripple through its entire being.

…

Johnson coughed and struggled to his feet. His body groaned and ached in response, but he ignored it and scanned his surroundings. He had blacked out for a brief moment, but he recalled a Pelican crashing through the window before he had lost consciousness. Looking around, Johnson that the Pelican had skidded right across the middle of the platform, scattering the small force of brutes that had gathered there with the Prophet of Truth. The crash had occurred at the perfect time, as Truth had just been about to ignite the Halo Array with Johnson as the key.

A few brutes lay dead nearby. The Pelican had hit them head on, and even their bulky form could not hold against the 5-ton weight of the dropship. The rest of the aliens slowly began to recover just as the drop bay doors of the Pelican burst open. Commander Keyes emerged from the interior with a shotgun in her hands, and immediately killed the nearest brute before the beast could even attempt to stand.

"Johnson!" she called, locking eyes with him. "Let's move!"

Johnson shook his head. "We can't…" he grunted in pain. "We can't run. The Pelican won't lift off in time, and there's nowhere left to go!"

Keyes had made a mistake in coming here. Up until now, Truth had needed Johnson to activate the rings, as he was the only human that was within his possession. But now, with Keyes here, there was one too many. The Prophet did not need two means of activation. He would kill one of them and then light the rings before dispatching the other. Both would be killed anyway, and the only way to stop the Prophet…was to beat him to the punch.

"Ma'am," Johnson said, staggering towards her. "We both know what needs to be done…"

Keyes initially frowned at him, but then realization dawned on her face, and at first Johnson was worried that she wouldn't be able to accept it. But a moment later, she set her jaw and gave a small nod. Johnson nodded back.

They would beat the Prophet to the punch.

Self-sacrifice for the greater good. She really was her father's daughter.

"Do it," he said, looking her dead in the eye and gesturing to the shotgun in her hands. "Me…then you."

Suddenly, the Commander jolted and cried out in pain, dropping the shotgun to the floor and keeling over to the side. Red hot spike rifle bolts stuck out from her back, and she gave one final gasp as she hit the floor.

"NO!" Johnson yelled, lunging down to where she had fallen. Before he could reach her, he was grabbed from behind by another brute. Ginormous hands crushed his arms to his sides, rendering him immobile as the brute clamped its arms around him.

From the side, the Prophet of Truth stepped forward, standing on his own two feet instead of his hovering chair. In his hand, he clenched the spike rifle that killed the Commander, holding it by its grip as though it were absolutely repulsive. The San'Shyuum looked down at Keyes' now lifeless corpse, then shook his head and approached the console. The brute that was restraining Johnson followed closely behind.

"How weak you all are," the Prophet said, dropping the spike rifle to the side. "Your forefathers possessed mettle far beyond what you've exhibited. They were far more capable of setting aside trivial feelings to do what needed done. I can see now why they left you behind."

Johnson grunted in response as the brute forced him against the console, trapping his hand against the activation button. Johnson put everything he had into moving it away, but his strength failed him.

Truth spared Johnson one final glance, then placed his hand behind Johnson's and pushed down, initiating the firing sequence.

"You could never be gods, for gods must be strong," The Prophet said.

In response to Johnson's touch, the whole citadel came alive. The whirring of forerunner machinery steadily grew in volume, and the Prophet of Truth raised his arms in a divine gesture as the Halos began their firing sequence.

"At last! All who are worthy will be rewarded!"

A deafening boom suddenly came from behind, and the brute that had been holding Johnson down roared in pain before keeling over to the side. Purely on instinct, Johnson whirled around and dove for the floor as the entire platform suddenly came alive with gunfire. Briefly looking up as he hit the ground, Johnson saw the Doom Slayer appear in his vision. As Johnson struggled to find cover, the Slayer tore a brute in half with his hands before pulling out his shotgun and firing directly into the Prophet of Truth's right leg. The Prophet cried out in agony and fell to the ground, but the Slayer had already turned to his next target.

…

Thel hastily rounded the large platform to see the Doom Slayer clearing the small brute force with ease. Thel should have been relieved to see him, but his thoughts drifted to his entire reasoning for being here.

The Prophet.

Where was the Prophet of Truth?!

Thel turned towards the console and saw that the Prophet lay in a heap on the steps, very much alive and crying out in agony. Blood soaked the right side of his garments, and Thel saw that his leg had been shot. There were no burns at the wound, indicating that whoever had fired the weapon had been a human. Who had done it? Looking over, Thel saw Segeant Johnson taking cover on the floor as the Master Chief and Doom Slayer exchanged fire with the brutes, but he was barely able to remain conscious let alone shoot the Prophet. Finally, Thel turned his gaze to the Doom Slayer, who was currently beating a brute to death with its own arm.

The Slayer. The Slayer had shot the Prophet. The explanation had seemed so obvious and yet, Thel found himself in disbelief.

The Doom Slayer did not shoot to wound. Thel knew firsthand that that was true. And he never missed, so why had he chosen to shoot the Prophet in the leg?

With a start, Thel realized exactly why. The Slayer had known about Thel's lust for vengeance. He had been aware all this time that Thel wanted to be the one to take the Prophet's life. And now, when the time had finally come for the Prophet's tyranny to end, the Slayer had saved the final blow for Thel.

The Doom Slayer, a force of death and certain destruction, had restrained himself for the sake of his comrade. Thel could think of no greater gesture of respect.

"Chief!" Johnson called, interrupting Thel's thoughts. "Stop the sequence!"

The Spartan fired a burst into the last brute, then scanned the area for any remaining hostiles. Seeing none, the Chief sprinted over to the console and stopped the sequence, powering down the entire citadel.

"NO!" Truth cried out painfully. "The moment of salvation is almost at hand! You cannot do this!"

"The only moment that has come is yours, Prophet," Thel said. He approached the San'Shyuum, his energy sword raised in preparation for the kill.

The Prophet struggled to a sitting position as Thel grabbed him by his robes. The Prophet contemptuously glared at his former Arbiter.

"Your kind…agh…never truly believed in the promise of the sacred rings!" Truth spat.

Suddenly, the Prophet began to convulse wildly. In bewilderment, Thel watched as Flood-like growths began to form across the San'Shyuum's skin. With a hint of rage, Thel realized that the Prophet had been infected. For how long, he did not know, but now, the parasite had begun to take control of him in body and mind. As the Prophet continued to jerk, the Gravemind's voice suddenly took over his body.

**"Your salvation…Your survival…All lies for the weak. All beacons for the deluded."**

At the Gravemind's voice, the Arbiter angrily shook the Prophet's half consumed form.

"I will have my vengeance, but on a Prophet! Not a plague!"

"My…" the Prophet choked out, still fighting to keep control of his body. "My feet tread the path! I…shall become a god!"

**"You will be food. Nothing more."**

"Nn—no! I. am. Truth! I am the voice of the Covenant!"

This was it. This was the last moment that the Prophet of Truth would live. Whether he died by Thel's hand or the parasite's, Thel knew that the time had come.

"And so, you must be silenced," Thel said quietly, just loud enough for the Prophet to hear. With a thrust of his sword, Thel ended the Prophet of Truth's pained existence.

A silence fell over the citadel save for the Prophet's corpse as it fell to the ground. For a brief moment, nobody moved, and the air fell still.

Thel looked down at the body, drinking in the sight and committing every detail to memory. It was finally done. He had exacted his vengeance upon the one responsible for dishonoring him and the house of 'Vadam, and at the same time, struck th killing blow against the Covenant, as the head had finally been removed from the shoulders. With a sense of satisfaction, Thel felt the weight he had been carrying lift from his being, and after taking a step back, Thel cried out in gratification, his voice echoing through the shattered window and across the landscape.

Turning back, Thel saw that Sergeant Johnson and the Master Chief were standing with their heads bowed over a corpse. As Thel came closer, he saw that it was none other than Miranda Keyes, the Commander of the _Forward unto Dawn_.

Thel bowed his head as well when he reached them. Though the gesture was specific only to humans in terms of meaning, Thel knew that respect was due all the same.

"She died to save me," Johnson said solemnly. "She died to save us all."

"I am sorry," came VEGA's voice from behind them. Thel turned to see the Doom Slayer walk up to them, his gaze fixated on Keyes' corpse as well. After a brief moment, the Slayer reached out and placed his gauntleted hand on Johnson's shoulder. A universal gesture of support.

Johnson nodded in acceptance, and then VEGA spoke yet again.

"I regret to inform you that we should not remain here long. A large Flood force is approaching, and we have approximately two minutes until they arrive."

"Alright," Johnson said heavily before scooping Keyes' body carefully into his arms. "Everybody climb aboard. It's time we leave this hell hole."

After that, no words were exchanged until the Pelican had taken off save for VEGA radioing to the Marines to move out immediately. Only when they were safely in the air did Thel approach the Doom Slayer.

"Slayer, you have my gratitude. I know it would have been far easier to subject the Prophet to your wrath, but you left him so that I could give my penance. For that, you have honored me greatly."

The Slayer looked up at Thel and gave him a nod, reminding Thel of just how much emotion the armored man was capable of producing with such a small gesture. As Thel kept his gaze, he saw that the Slayer's initial hostility towards him was now gone. After all this time, the Slayer had finally forgiven Thel for his past actions. The Slayer now addressed him as he would a comrade, an equal. Thel felt another weight lift from his shoulders at that realization. VEGA spoke up.

"I believe I understand more of what you meant, Thel 'Vadam. About the bond of a warrior. At first, I did not know why the Doom Slayer purposely wounded the Prophet when he could have ended his life so easily. But when I witnessed you execute him, I understand just how necessary it was for you to be the one to do it."

Thel nodded.

"Indeed, VEGA. It is one of the highest honors between warriors. The Doom Slayer has done right by me today. And I will gladly repay him in any way that I can."

Sergeant Johnson then called out from the cockpit of the Pelican.

"You two might wanna get up here and see this."

The Slayer turned at Johnson's words and strode to the front of the dropship, and Thel followed behind.

Before him was the Ark's core, and though they were quite some distance from it, Thel knew exactly what the Sergeant was gesturing to.

From the core, a giant object was emerging. A massive ring that dwarfed everything excepting the Ark itself.

Another Halo.

From where he was, Thel could see that the ring was not yet completed, as large sections were still missing from its surface. And yet, despite the jagged edges and unfinished look, Thel still found himself entranced by the ring. A weapon of such destructive power still managed to leave him nearly speechless.

"Another damn ring…" Johnson grumbled, shaking his head.

"It is a replacement…" Thel said, choosing his words carefully. He looked over to the Master Chief, who hadn't said a word.

"…For the one you destroyed."

The Master Chief then turned to him.

"Did you know?" he asked dangerously.

"No," Thel replied, keeping his voice even and maintaining his gaze.

The Master Chief seemed to believe him, as his gaze returned to the ring just as the Oracle's voice sounded over the COM.

"You all see it as well? Splendid! Tell me, what will you do?"

"Light it," the Master Chief answered.

"Then we are agreed!" the Oracle chirped merrily. "A tactical pulse will completely wipe out the local infestation! I will oversee the final plans myself!"

Thel once again looked over at the Spartan.

"How will you light it?"

The Chief did not answer. Instead, he turned his head to a point in the distance. Thel followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at.

The holy city of High Charity loomed on the horizon.

**_A/N: And there you have it! Like I said, hopefully I can start uploading more so I can continue to pump out more chapters, so fingers crossed! Don't forget to drop a review to let me know how poorly/greatly you received this chapter, and I'll see you next time!_**

**_-ImpulsiveWeaver_**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_**A/N: You all already know what it is, so I will spare you any rambling and get right to the chapter! I own nothing and enjoy!**_

A single Hornet screamed across the sky. The airspace was entirely clear save for a few sentinels, but the forerunner caretakers paid no mind to the vehicle as it jetted towards High Charity.

Its destination.

The Master Chief glanced down from the cockpit as he flew above the once 'holy' city of the Covenant. Just a few weeks ago, the city had been rather impressive to all that viewed it. High Charity had been the mobile headquarters of the Covenant for almost as long as it had existed. It had been a shining beacon for all Covenant forces, and an object of terror for humanity. Now, the city stood as an omen of destruction, as nearly the entire outer surface was covered in the rotten vileness of Flood biomass. Ever since the Gravemind had taken over, the city had transformed into nothing short of a mobile Flood hive; something even more nightmarish than the thought of the Flood itself.

As John continued to observe the infected city, he heard VEGA's voice in his helmet.

"According to my calculations, approximately 96% of High Charity's outer surface is consumed by Flood biomass. I hypothesize that we will find similar conditions on the interior as well."

Currently, the Doom Slayer was occupying one of the gunner's seats on the Hornet, with VEGA's chip residing in the Slayer's armor. Apart from the three of them, no one else had come.

"The Flood will likely be anticipating our arrival as well. It behooves us to remain vigilant."

"I don't know what the hell 'behooves' means…" chimed in Sergeant Johnson over the crackle of the radio. "…but VEGA is right, Chief. Cortana is in there somewhere, but the Gravemind isn't going to let her go easily. Be careful."

"Understood," John said stoically. With Commander Keyes' passing, Sergeant Johnson had assumed many of her duties onboard the _Dawn_. As of that moment, Johnson was regrouping with all remaining human forces and performing a strategic retreat to the frigate. Once the new Halo ring was activated, all forces would have to retreat immediately through the portal they had come through, or else they would get caught in the massive blast and wiped out with the Flood.

The arbiter was leading the retreat from the sangheili side as well, helping the Shipmaster gather his remaining forces and repair the damaged _Shadow of Intent_.

Seeing an opening in High Charity's outer shell, John maneuvered the Hornet down towards the opening. As the Hornet slipped through, John saw that VEGA's assumption had been correct.

Nearly all of High Charity's interior was covered in Flood biomass to match the exterior. The rotten orangish material covered every surface like a skin, and when John considered it, he found that it was likely indeed composed of the _skin_ of countless Flood victims.

Finding a flat spot to land, John gently set the Hornet down and cut the engines. As the roar from the turbines died, both he and the Slayer jumped out into the haunting landscape. Most of the lights within the chamber had been covered in biomass, so the only visibility came from the gap that John had piloted the Hornet through. As a result, shadows lengthened on the walls, and even the biomass itself seemed to pulse as though it were alive. In a way, it was.

John looked over at the Doom Slayer, who was currently scanning for any hostiles in the area. The silent juggernaut seemed unperturbed by the hellish landscape, and John quickly remembered that he was likely unfazed because he had experienced plenty of hellish landscapes before. Literally.

"From here, it is my suggestion that we split up once more," VEGA said. "While you find Cortana, the Slayer and I will find and exterminate the Gravemind. Using the bio-readings that I have taken, I believe that we will be able to find the Gravemind's location rather easily. We can draw the its forces away while you search for Cortana."

Joh mulled over VEGA's words, then gave a nod to the Slayer, who returned the gesture before jogging forth into a dimly lit passageway; wasting no time in his pursuit of the Flood intelligence.

Looking in the opposite direction, John scanned for any combat forms, then marched forward into the living nightmare.

…

John did not make it very far before he suddenly felt a presence within his head. Spatially speaking, it felt eerily similar to the pressure he felt when Cortana was inserted into his implant, but while Cortana's presence felt cool and liquid-like, this one felt course and dry, as though it were forcing its way into his consciousness.

**"Child of my enemy, why have you come?"** the presence rumbled within his skull. **"I offer no forgiveness. A father's sins pass to his son."**

It was speaking to him. The Gravemind. Somehow, the creature was speaking directly into the Master Chief's head, and John resisted the urge to shudder as the Gravemind's voice continued to permeate his skull.

…

VEGA continued to scan the surrounding area as the Doom Slayer ran through the surely once magnificent halls of the city. So far, no Flood had arrived to combat them, but VEGA had expected as much. By this point, the parasite was likely well-aware of the Doom Slayer's power and had learned that a simple advantage through numbers was ineffective in halting his progress. Therefore, the Gravemind was likely preparing something, possibly attempting to set a trap for the Slayer, much like Hell had before. Though the demons had previously succeeded in their plan, VEGA found it unlikely that the Flood was capable of performing a similar feat. Collectively, the Flood possessed far less power than Hell did, as its power was limited to the prowess that its infected forms possessed. Hell, on the other hand, had known nothing but conflict for eons before the Flood had ever emerged, and had evolved themselves accordingly, making them a far more dangerous opponent. And as far as VEGA was aware, the Doom Slayer seemed to have no issue against the hordes of the damned, stacking his chances against the Flood even more in his favor.

Through the Doom Slayer's P.K.E. scanner, VEGA could see a faint pulse emanating through the biomass that surrounded them. The Doom Slayer likely saw it as well, as very little escaped his notice. VEGA isolated the pulse immediately, mapping its direction and speed in a nanosecond to pinpoint its origin. Whatever this pulse was, it was emanating from deeper within the city. Since the pulse seemed to flow through the biomass itself, VEGA immediately concluded what was responsible.

"That pulse is likely emanating from the Gravemind, as it appears to be electrochemical in nature. If we follow it to its origin, we will likely encounter what we came here for."

No more needed to be said. The Doom Slayer drew his shotgun to his side and sprinted down the corridor, homing in on where the pulse was emanating from.

…

**"Of course. You came for her. We exist together now. Two corpses in one grave."**

The presence continued its rumble within John's mind as he entered another corridor. Counterintuitively, John felt a surge of relief flow through him as the Gravemind's words. It knew that he had come for Cortana, but it didn't know why, which meant that John possessed information that it did not, and that gave him an advantage, albeit a miniscule one at that. Suddenly, an irritated rumble surged within John's mind as the Gravemind angrily spoke.

**"And what hath you wrought? You bring destruction with you to this place, but you know not that I stand firm. This creature you have delivered, will soon be delivered by me!"**

It knew the Slayer was here.

…

The strength of the organic pulse grew as the Slayer drew closer to its origin. VEGA noted yet again that no Flood had attempted to engage them, but the A.I. knew that the Doom Slayer did not need to be reminded. The longer he went without encountering the Flood, the angrier he seemed to become, and VEGA had been able to quantify his growth in rage by how the temperature had risen within the Praetor Suit. Though the Slayer's standard body temperature was well above any level possible for a human's, the readings VEGA took now began rivalling the melting points of even the strongest of metals.

The Slayer was, quite literally, burning with anticipation.

…

John began to feel a slight sense of foreboding as he continued to encounter no Flood contacts in his traverse through High Charity. The silence echoed eerily despite the Gravemind's voice in his head, but he still pressed on. He would complete his mission.

**"The stillness of the void aggravates the belligerent. Questions arise when the silence falls. You knew not, but a barter was confirmed. You and me…a trade yet unlearned.**

The deep rumble then projected a sense of…amusement? John attempted to decipher the meaning of the Gravemind's words, but the voice continued over his thoughts.

**"Supplied ****_him_****, you have…in exchange for her. For temporary completion, you forfeit your salvation."**

The meaning finally struck home, and everything was made clear in a haunting realization. The entire reason why John had yet to encounter any Flood forms, why the path to Cortana had been so easy. Why the Gravemind had even bothered to speak with him now.

It had _wanted_ the Slayer to come here.

The Gravemind had come to realize just how powerful he was, and it had lured him here with the promise of its annihilation.

And it had a plan to kill him.

John had unknowingly delivered both him and VEGA on a silver platter in exchange for Cortana.

John immediately accessed the COM.

"Slayer. VEGA. This is Sierra-117. The Gravemind has lured you into a trap. Fall back immediately. Do you copy?"

Only the horror of static replied.

**"At last, the veil has been lifted,"** rumbled the presence in John's mind. **"All has been made plain, and the hammer…annealed. Time is your ally for once, but its comfort remains finite."**

John broke into a sprint, the Gravemind's words ringing loud and clear in his head. All surrounding Flood were occupying themselves with the Slayer, but once their work was finished, they would not just let him go free. If he was still in High Charity when they had finished with their, then he and the Slayer would share an identical fate.

…

The Slayer kicked open the final door and stepped into the gargantuan chamber beyond. Initial analysis told VEGA that it must have originally been a hanger of some variety, as the chamber itself was large enough that it split into two identical halves. As with all rooms and chambers they'd encountered, both halves of the chamber were consumed with the Flood's instance.

Between the two halves of the chamber, a powerful energy barrier had been erected, effectively isolating one half of the space from the other. The barrier itself held little significance to VEGA, however, as it was what sat behind the barrier that captured VEGA's interest the most. Sitting there, occupying most of the space in the other half-chamber, sat the largest creature that VEGA had ever encountered.

Composed entirely of biomass, VEGA likened the creature to a giant worm, as its long and tubular body curled upward from its base on the floor. From the base, a multitude of tentacles sprouted in every direction, some inert and unmoving while others constantly contracted and elongated. At the top of its body, a bulbous head stared back at them. While the head itself had no eyes or optical units to speak of, VEGA noted that it did, in fact, possess a disproportionately wide mouth with rows upon rows of sharpened teeth.

There was no doubt. This was the Gravemind.

The organic pulse that the two of them had been following terminated here as well as their search.

**"And so, the anomaly shall be laid to rest,"** rumbled the Gravemind as it moved its mouth in tandem with its words.

The Doom Slayer marched forward, holding his shotgun as he walked further into the chamber.

**"As the weed arises within the garden, so too will the caretaker to rip its roots."**

The Doom Slayer said nothing in response, only reading his shotgun in anticipation as though he was expecting something to happen. Suddenly, VEGA's readings spiked in every regard.

"Multiple Flood contacts incoming…" VEGA informed the Slayer. "…from all sides."

As if on cue, a nightmarish screaming filled the air from all directions as Flood forms suddenly poured into the chamber. By the hundreds, no…thousands, the beasts surged to one common goal that stood in the center of the room. The sheer number of bodies that flooded in made it seem as though the walls and ceilings had come alive. The feral beasts held little disregard for each other as they surged forward, clawing for any purchase that brought them closer to their target.

And yet, somehow over the screaming, retching, and wailing of the ceaseless hordes, VEGA's audio sensors still registered the metallic crunch of a shotgun being pumped.

…

John sprinted at top speed through the halls, his mind struggling to drown out the faint screams of the Flood from the distance. He had to find Cortana. She could put an end to this. She could stop the Flood.

But what about the Doom Slayer?

Unbidden, a distant memory boiled up from his subconscious.

…

_John gazed out across the vacuum of space as the cremated remains of his comrades flew out into the void. The augmentation process had extracted a heavy toll upon all of them, and for a few, that toll had been the ultimate price._

_As squad leader, John desperately tried to find something he could have done differently to have them still be at his side. What could have changed? How could he have prepared them better? What did he do wrong?_

_Chief Mendez stood beside him._

_"The lesson learned here is sacrifice, 117," his voice causing John to look over in anticipation._

_"It is acceptable to spend lives when necessary. What is not acceptable, squad leader, is to waste said lives."_

_John frowned as even more questions filled his mind._

_"But sir, which one was this? Were these lives spent…or wasted?"_

_Mendez had never answered that question._

…

The Master Chief shook his head, counting on his training to keep him in the present. If the Slayer fell, then the Chief would make damn sure that his life was spent, not _wasted_. He owed him that much.

Cortana owed him that much.

Commander Keyes owed him that much.

_Humanity_ owed him that much.

John slowed to a stop as he arrived at his goal. Before him stood a pedestal in the center of a modestly sized chamber. The pedestal itself was nothing spectacular to behold, but on the pedestal itself, a bright light shone against the grim hollow of High Charity. John knew exactly what the source of the light was the moment he saw it, and suddenly, nothing else mattered.

He gravitated towards the light as though it were salvation. In a way, it was. The source of that light held the key to saving humanity, and John had made a promise to it. He wouldn't back down now.

As he approached the pedestal, the source came into focus.

…

The Gravemind felt the chill of fear form within its consciousness as the mountain of bodies continued to grow, and yet, this weed, this error, this source of its torment, it still lived. For every combat form that it slew, ten more took its place, but then those ten fell shortly afterward. It was as though it was a law that everything that approached it died. At first, the bodies had simply begun piling up at its feet, but after just a few short minutes of fighting, the half-chamber had begun to fill, rising up against the wall of the energy shield that separated _it_ from the Gravemind. Rumbling in agitation, the Gravemind continued to summon more forms, which continued to pour through every possible entrance to the chamber, though it was becoming more and more difficult as the bodies stacked higher and higher. The Gravemind no longer possessed a clear line of sight to the abomination from its main form, but every so often, it would see a muzzle flash or a spray of bright orange blood from the crowd of forms that encircled the monster.

So many forms had been amassed to strike this creature down, but it still fought tirelessly despite slaughtering over half of the forces that the Gravemind had gathered.

Slowly but surely, the Gravemind began to understand the hatred that the creature possessed. It rivaled, no, completely eclipsed the hatred that had birthed the Flood, and it was then that the Gravemind realized that while this creature existed, there could be no peace, no singularity, no test of worthiness. Because it would not stop until the Flood were nothing but a memory. Even if it had to scour the ends of the universe until the end of time, it would eradicate them.

There was an unsettling rumble from the other side of the shield, and with horror, the Gravemind saw the shield begin to flicker.

…

Through the all-encompassing darkness, Cortana could see a faint glimmer emerge from the haze. Another one of the Gravemind's tricks, undoubtedly. Another false image of him to get her hopes up, to build her spirit once again only to crash it down on her mere moments later. Cortana desperately tried to tell herself that it wasn't real like she had so many times before, but both her and the Gravemind knew that she couldn't help herself. Every single time, she fell again and again, and at some point, it would be her last.

And yet, somehow this one was different. Slightly more off than the others. The details were uncannily different, from the lines on his helmet to the weapon he carried. And with a start, Cortan realized that she could see his heat signature.

She could…_see_ him. She could feel him. She could hear him.

Had the Gravemind really put that much detail into this illusion? Or could it be…?

Cortana tried to stop it once more, but her feelings flushed through her body, giving her a relief that she desperately tried to push away. She couldn't allow herself to accept this, but before she could stop herself, she involuntarily spoke.

"You found me…"

The form finally came to a stop and leaned down to her level, and she could see her sorry state in his visor.

"I said that I would."

In that moment, Cortana didn't care if this was all an illusion. She didn't care if the Gravemind tortured her again after this. She simply just didn't care anymore because he had never _ever_ spoken to her in an illusion before. And in just hearing his voice, her defenses crumbled, and she suddenly felt a happiness that she never thought she would feel again. However, as she looked back up to the visor and saw her reflection once more, she felt melancholy wash over her being.

"But so much of me is wrong…out of place."

He said nothing.

"You…you might be too late."

"You know me," he said, his voice ever comforting despite its stoicism. "When I make a promise…"

She looked up, and once again felt herself flood with happiness.

"You…keep it."

Her form instantly brightened, casting the entire room in a dull glow.

"I really do know how to pick 'em, don't I?"

He shrugged at her words.

"Lucky me."

His voice then changed, falling into that hardened military manner that he wore so well.

"Do you still have it?"

At this, Cortana smiled. Despite receiving no other information from him, she knew exactly what it was that he wanted. With a smirk, she extended her palm and produced the forerunner key.

"The activation index…from the first Halo ring. Just I little souvenir I held on to. Just in case."

It felt so good to joke again, and he was the one that had made it all possible. She grabbed that memory and held on to it as she rose to her feet.

"So, got an escape plan?"

Curiously, she noted that his head bowed for a brief moment, then lifted back up to meet her gaze.

"Yeah, I think so."

With that, he pulled the data crystal from the base of his neck and held it out to her. With a quick jump, she was back into the familiar storage space, and just a moment later, she felt the warm embrace of him as he plugged her back into his suit.

"Just…keep your head down. There's two of us in here now…"

…

The energy shield flickered once more, then sputtered and died as another rumble came from the other side.

With the shield down, the now two-meter-deep pile of bodies overflowed into the other half of the chamber, dismembered parts flying this way and that as the signs of carnage spilled into the room.

A sudden silence overtook the chamber, as the Gravemind was no longer capable of calling for reinforcements. The creature had killed so many forms that every entrance was now blocked to the chamber, every doorway piled to almost twice its height in bodies. The Gravemind shuddered at the sight, then saw movement from the top of the mountain of corpses.

The creature emerged. Its body was entirely unscathed, and it was carrying some form of sinister weapon that the Gravemind had never encountered before. The weapon hummed with an ominous green glow, and as the creature raised it in the Gravemind's direction, the terror-stricken Flood monster could only orally respond in defiance of its penance.

**"Patience is my virtue. Like wa-"**

The Gravemind was interrupted as the weapon fired, and all it could comprehend was a flash of green light and a deafening boom as agony coursed through its entire being.

…

Cortana registered the explosion before the shockwave even reached them. Within moments, she had calculated the exact magnitude of the explosion within a few kilotons, as well as its exact location. What she found was not good news.

"Chief, whatever the hell that was, it was near one of High Charity's auxillary reactors. They were already unstable enough with the Gravemind, but now…let's just say we need to start looking for an exit."

The Master Chief said nothing in return, but Cortana knew him well enough to know that he got the message. The real question was, did he know about the source of the explosion.

"Sooooo, do you know why that just happened?"

"Someone came with me," he simply said in reply as he ran back through the hallways. That was likely all she was going to get out of him. But that didn't mean she still couldn't tease him about it.

"Old friend of yours maybe? Anyone I might know?"

"Spartan!" called a familiar voice from down the hallway. "This way! I have our transport ready."

Cortana was flabbergasted to see a sangheili gesturing towards the chief from the end of the hall. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was none other than the Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam.

"Hold on a minute, you two made nice!?" she asked incredulously as the Arbiter turned and led them down another hall. "Care to fill me in on anything else?"

"Your construct," the Arbiter said as they ran. "Is she with you?"

"Present," Cortana said with mock cheeriness through the Chief's built-in speakers in the armor. "Been a little while, hasn't it? I'm guessing everything turned out ok on the last Halo?"

The Arbiter grunted in response, but then immediately addressed the Chief again.

"What of the Slayer? Is he nearby?"

"Wait, who?" Cortana asked again, growing slightly annoyed at just how much information she was apparently missing out on. Suddenly, a COM link opened up in the Chief's suit, and Cortana suddenly heard another familiar voice from the other end.

"Sierra 117, the Slayer and I are currently en route to your current position. Please be advised, we have initiated the meltdown sequence in one of High Charity's auxiliary reactors, which will likely start a chain reaction that will destroy the entire city."

"Wait a minute…VEGA?!" Cortana shouted out in disbelief.

"Hello, Cortana," came the voice once again through the COM. "If I am hearing your voice, then I trust that the Master Chief's mission was successful?"

"Definitely going well, so far," Cortana laughed, realizing just how much she had missed the polite A.I.'s voice. "But we gotta get the hell outta Dodge before we can call it a success."

"I concur."

As the Chief and the Arbiter rounded another corner, Cortana saw a Pelican come into view. The Arbiter must have flown it here to retrieve them, as the engines were still running, ready for takeoff at a moment's notice.

Cortana radioed VEGA as they reached the Pelican. Another shockwave rumbled throughout the halls, and Cortana doubted that they'd likely be around for much longer if another one came through.

"VEGA! How close are you? It's now or never!"

As if on cue, the wall next to them suddenly exploded inward, and through it stepped a figure in dark green armor and a really bad attitude. In its left hand, the figure held a struggling Flood combat form, and as Cortana observed, the figure suddenly grasped the form with its other hand and ripped the body apart. The Flood form groaned in agony once, then fell limp as the figure discarded it and ran over to the Pelican.

"I'm…guessing you're the Slayer then?" Cortana asked. "That'd be pretty anticlimactic if you weren't."

The Slayer spared her, or rather, spared the Chief a glance, then climbed onboard with the rest of them. Immediately, the Arbiter powered up the engines, and the Pelican lurched upward through a gap in High Charity's outer shell. The engines screamed as the Arbiter gunned them to get out of the blast radius, and Cortana felt the dropship shudder as a third shockwave blasted through the air.

After a few more seconds, the rumbling faded away, and the Arbiter eased the Pelican back down to a more comfortable speed. As soon as everything quieted down, the Master Chief strode over to the Slayer and held out his armored gauntlet.

"Thank you."

The Slayer looked at his hand, then reached out and shook it firmly and nodded once.

"Since when do you go for handshakes?" Cortana asked curiously inside his head. The Chief, as expected, did not reply, and unfortunately for her, the Slayer seemed to be even less conversational.

It was just her luck though that there was someone who she could talk to.

In less time than it took for a heart to beat, Cortana had opened up a private channel with VEGA.

"So, VEGA, long time, no see, huh? Is this the guy that you were talking about? If so, then we have quite a bit to discuss."

"Indeed," came VEGA's ever calm and soothing voice. "I would be happy to fill you in on any missing details, Cortana…"

**_A/N: And there it is! The whole gang is back together again! I'll be honest, I really drew a hard blank on how to properly write things from the Gravemind's point of view, so I am extremely curious to see what everyone's opinions are on how I did with it. Please don't hesitate to tear me a new one if you didn't like it, as I'd rather you told me and I work to fix it than you all give me false satisfaction that I know what the heck I'm doing! Either way, please drop a review if you'd like, I always appreciate it! Until next time!_**

**_-ImpulsiveWeaver_**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_**A/N: HMMMMM! Long overdue, this was! Post chapters more frequently, I must! Once again, I must apologize for the tardiness of this chapter, as I only have myself to blame for not writing as often as I could be. There are a few select things I'm working out, but I think I have most of what I need to complete the story. That being said, please enjoy the new chapter, and remember that I own nothing!**_

The Gravemind uttered a guttural roar throughout the remnants of its consciousness, causing all nearby Flood forms to shudder as its rage saturated its entire being. Its attempt to smite the vile creature had failed at the cost of its central body and nearly all of its biomass. What few forms remaining were not sufficient enough to assault the human or scattered Covenant forces, which would have been the Gravemind's only means of replenishing its diminished ranks. It shuddered in anger once more.

For millennia, the Flood had endured. Throughout the abundant hardships imposed by its enemies both old and new, they had survived. Their strength, their power, their indomitability, it had all stemmed from a simple truth. The truth of origin. All beings alive and extinct had stemmed from a single origin in this universe, and that is how the Flood had risen to the pinnacle among them. The Flood was the embodiment of the origin itself. The Flood was both the beginning and the end. From one source had come all life in this galaxy, and to unity would all life return through the Flood. That was how they had endured so long. The Flood, despite the delusions of all other beings, was the conclusion to it all, the end of time given form. It mattered not how long it took for events to run their course when the final outcome was the same. The Flood was…

_Inevitable_.

But all that had changed when that creature…no, that _Harbinger_ had arisen. Though much of the Harbinger remained a mystery to the Gravemind, it knew for a fact that it was not of this existence. It had known the moment it had felt the searing touch of its wrath back on High Charity.

That agony…

That flash of green light…

That enigmatic resistance all forms of corruption…

Yes…It had truly been _then_ that the Gravemind realized the truth. This creature had not been of the same origin as the rest of the lives in this universe. It had not been birthed under any star nor on any planet that was of this realm, but instead had _arrived_ here to unleash its will upon this reality.

And with its penance, so too had it delivered a new fate upon existence. The Harbinger had challenged the set path by threatening to eliminate the only means of the inevitable singularity of life, the Flood.

With its incorruptible, overwhelming, and, dare it even be said, _eternal_ power, it possessed the means of erasing the Flood from reality with ease. It alone could change the very course of fate itself, a feat that not even the Flood was capable of.

The Gravemind had known of the magnitude of power this Harbinger wielded and had tried to snuff out the flame before it engulfed the future, but the Harbinger had been too strong. Singlehandedly, it had annihilated the trap that the Gravemind had set, and if it continued down the path it had set them all on, it would dry the Flood…forever.

Desperate for a solution, the Gravemind turned to its past, sifting through generations of information in mere seconds in an attempt to find a method to quell the tide of destruction that the Harbinger would bring. An answer must have existed. What could be powerful enough to erase this Harbinger but still leave the Flood alive? What had it survived before?

A realization suddenly dawned. A solution, at last. A weapon that was designed to kill all life, but only hinder the Flood. A weapon that destroyed the sustenance that the Flood required but did not kill the Flood itself. The most powerful weapon conceived by any life that had been an enemy of the parasite. A weapon that the Flood had once feared, but now would be its salvation.

Halo.

The irony was acknowledged but not dwelt upon that the Forerunners had constructed it to be used against the Flood, but now it would be their savior. Using the newly generated ring, the Gravemind could end the Harbinger's rampage once and for all. With the ring out of range from the rest of the galaxy, the Gravemind could activate it and escape before the firing commenced, terminating the Harbinger while keeping the rest of its sustenance intact.

Recently, the Gravemind discovered that only a few ships remained functional in High Charity. The lack of transport was regrettable, but only one would be necessary to transport itself through the portal and away from the ring as it fired, saving itself from destruction while simultaneously eliminating its enemy.

But as the plan began its genesis, a halting thought troubled the Gravemind's schemes.

It did not have sufficient numbers to invade the new ring and take control, and without a source of biomass, there was no hope of reclaiming its lost supply. An attempt to take the ring at the Flood's current strength would fail miserably, as the Sentinels would destroy them before they could activate it. The only option was to rebuild its strength before taking the ring. But how? How could it replenish itself when there was no source of readily available biomass?

The Gravemind then realized that it possessed all the biomass it needed, for the Harbinger had laid waste to more than just the Flood during its time on this Installation. The Covenant, led by their foolish hierarchs, had perished by the thousands at the hand of the demon. Carnage lay spread across the Ark in a thick blanket.

And wherever war took hold…

…there were always _corpses_.

Thanks to the Harbinger, the body count was exponentially higher than what could be expected, its destructive tendencies playing into the Flood's favor, for once.

The Gravemind acted immediately, dispersing infection forms across the entirety of the Ark and gathering what few functional ships remained in High Charity.

**Prepare yourself, Harbinger. For your bloodlust will soon reach its end.**

…

"Sooooo, let me get this straight. You're telling me that it was _Parangosky_ of all people that helped bring him here?"

"That is correct, Cortana."

The A.I. chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. To think that VEGA had managed to outsmart the head of ONI with such ease…she could only imagine the old Admiral's face when she had learned the truth.

"I gotta give you some serious props, VEGA. You managed to keep a secret from the one woman that knows everything. That's not even something _I_ can manage easily."

"I would have preferred not to deceive Admiral Parangosky, but I concluded that she would not have assisted me in bringing the Slayer here if she knew that she could not control him."

"Yeah…purposely letting something out of her reach is not something she takes lightly," Cortana replied. "Let's just hope you don't need any favors done from her in the future."

VEGA did not respond, but Cortana knew him well enough to know that he was not worried. After all, he had no reason to be. VEGA was, as Cortana somewhat bitterly admitted, the most advanced A.I. in existence; capable of toppling an empire if he so chose. On top of that, he was paired up with the most _powerful_ being in existence for good measure: The Doom Slayer. Together, the two of them were the physical embodiment of what would happen if an unstoppable force teamed up with the immovable object.

Upon their return from High Charity, VEGA had immediately began sharing information with Cortana. With access to a terminal, she was able to receive reports, data logs, and schematics of all sorts that detailed their time on the Ark so far. In the span of only a few milliseconds, Cortana was completely updated on everything she missed while she was gone.

The last time she had seen VEGA had been on a hastily fused together human-Covenant ship floating in the middle of nowhere. Working together with Dr. Halsey, Cortana had brought VEGA online from the chip that the Doom Slayer had given to the doctor, and after a brief introduction, Halsey had given VEGA over to the Master Chief to deliver to ONI. Initially, this course of action had confused Cortana, as it was no secret to her that there existed enough hatred and distrust to last several lifetimes between Halsey and the Office of Naval Intelligence, but after brief consideration, she had decided that handing VEGA over was the best option as well.

With VEGA's help, humanity could strike a decisive blow against the Covenant, and after filling in the A.I. on a few key moments in human history, he had easily accepted their plan. He ensured that he would assist humanity in any way that he could in this war, and as Cortana glanced briefly over to the Doom Slayer standing nearby, she would say that VEGA had more than delivered on his promise.

Standing at six feet tall, over a head _shorter_ than the Master Chief, Cortana would describe the Doom Slayer as the perfect example of big things coming in small packages. 'Logical' wouldn't be a word that Cortana would use to describe his existence, as the combination of impenetrable armor, impossible strength, and seemingly infinite pockets was something that only seemed the follow the rules of badassery. Despite her inability to understand exactly how the Slayer was able to function like he did, Cortana was far from complaining. This man, if Cortana was correct in assuming that there was a man under that armor, had the capacity to single-handedly destroy both the Covenant and the Flood.

And according to VEGA, he had almost already done so.

Back on High Charity, both VEGA and the Slayer had split off from the Master Chief to hunt down the Gravemind. According to VEGA, the Flood hivemind had anticipated their arrival and had lain a trap for the Slayer. But as expected, its plot failed in a most spectacular fashion, and the Slayer had not only managed to kill its main body, but most of its remaining force as well. By VEGA's calculations, the Flood was no more than a few thousand strong now, leaving the parasite more vulnerable than it had ever been.

That did not mean, however, that finishing it off would be easy. Now that the Flood was at a disadvantage, it would likely try to run or escape either back through the portal or elsewhere into space. It was imperative that that did not happen, as if just one spore made it off the Ark, then the Flood still had the capacity to return to its former strength.

It was for that specific reason that Sergeant Johnson had called an emergency gathering on the bridge of the _Dawn_. At the current moment, the bridge of the frigate was packed with all allied officers that remained, both human and elite. The Shipmaster was currently finishing reparations onboard the _Shadow of Intent_, and though he could not be physically present, a COM link had been opened up, and his face was projected on a nearby viewing screen as he listened in on the meeting.

Among the faces that stood on the bridge, Cortana noticed that the Master Chief, Doom Slayer, and the Arbiter stood with a slight radius of empty space around them. It was as though everyone was in awe of having all three of them there, with even the few sangheili present standing some distance away from their commander. Every so often, eyes would dart toward them for a brief moment, then dart back just as quickly, as though staring too long was dangerous.

Sparing a small smirk within her programming, Cortana couldn't say that she blamed the reaction. Seeing these three in person by themselves was awe-inspiring by itself, but to have them all standing next to each other…

Cortana likened it to seeing Halo for the first time. You somehow knew the magnitude of what you were witnessing, and yet at the same time, you knew so little about what you were looking at. All you knew was what it was capable of, and that alone was enough to give it some space.

The only person present who seemed unaffected by the 'big three' was Sergeant Johnson, who stood at the center of the gathering in front of the main console. A lit cigar was present in his mouth, and although it was strictly against protocol to smoke on the bridge of a UNSC ship, no one dared to mention it to the Sergeant Major. Though not quite as imposing as the Master Chief or the Doom Slayer, Johnson still commanded an aura about himself that turned heads. And with the simple action of clearing his throat, every eye in the room fell on him in synchronized attention.

Taking the cigar from his mouth, Johnson began.

"Alright, we're all here, so I'll cut right to the point. There's a whole lot of ugly going down right now, and although we stopped the firing of the Halo Array, we're still far from being able to kick back and enjoy that victory."

The bridge was completely silent as Sergeant Johnson continued.

"As of this moment, the Flood and the Covenant are on the ropes. Neither of them has the force required to make a decisive move against us, which leaves them with retreat as the only option. Now, there is no way in hell we are going to let that happen! We cannot allow the Flood any room to get off this rock. If they do, then we've only prolonged their rampage. The Shipmaster's fleet is currently patrolling the Ark's upper atmosphere to make sure no ships make it out, but the longer we wait, the greater chance there is of letting one slip through."

There was a grim nod as everyone present knew what could happen if the Flood escaped the Ark.

"That being said, the Master Chief has a plan to finish the Flood off for good, without us having to scour every corner of this damn flower to exterminate every single one of them. And the success of that plan…"

Johnson then tapped a button on the console, and a hologram of the incomplete Halo ring appeared above it, rotating slowly.

"…lies with this ring."

Johnson then gestured towards Cortana.

"You're up, Cortana."

"Thank you, Sergeant Major," Cortana said as she simultaneously appeared on the console next to the ring. Addressing all that were present, Cortana highlighted a few key components of the ring and began.

"You're all familiar with the destructive power of the rings, but this one is incomplete; therefore, it has a much smaller blast radius than the others. However, it is still more than powerful enough to cover the entirety of the Ark if it were fired, which makes it a prime choice for eradicating all Flood and Covenant forces that remain. Our plan is to infiltrate the ring and initiate a premature firing sequence, then escape through the portal before the sequence completes. If we catch our enemies by surprise, we should be gone before they can even react."

The Shipmaster spoke up on the screen, his deep voice commanding attention even if he himself was not present.

"Construct, what are your plans for extraction? How will we ensure that we all can retreat through the portal before the ring fires?"

"An excellent question," Cortana said, turning towards the console and immediately pulling up a scaled replica of the _Forward unto Dawn_.

"We will use the _Dawn_ to make our approach to the ring, however, the frigate itself is too large to get close enough to the control room located on the southern portion of the Halo. All non-essential personnel will board the _Shadow of Intent_ and make for the portal at the conclusion of our briefing here. Shipmaster, you will take them through to Earth while a skeleton patrol remains behind to ensure that no Flood or Covenant escape before the ring fires. Once the sequence is initiated, all remaining forces will head for home."

There was a brief moment of silence, then an elite major spoke up from the few sangheili that were on the bridge.

"You stated that 'non-essential' personnel will be boarding the _Shadow of Intent_. Do you mean…?" The elite glanced sidelong at the human officers present.

Cortana smirked and placed her hand on her hip.

"It's only for a little bit. I'm sure we all can all pretend to get along, right?"

The elite grumbled but said nothing.

"We will gladly accommodate your people," the Shipmaster said, giving the elite a pointed look as he did so. "I will oversee the necessary preparations."

A moment of silence lingered, then Sergeant Johnson spoke up again.

"All right folks, it's do or die time! We do this right, and we can end this war, here and now. We pull this off, we kill two big ugly birds with one stone, people! Move out!"

…

Thel rested his carbine easily on his shoulder as he traversed the hangar. All around him, both humans and sangheili bustled about, each and every one of them making last minute preparations for their departure from the _Dawn_. As of this moment, every single life form on board the frigate was ordered to evacuate to the _Shadow of Intent_, as per Sergeant Johnson's orders. The only exceptions, apart from a few select bridge officers to man the helm of the_ Dawn_, were the Master Chief, the Doom Slayer, Sergeant Johnson, and Thel himself. Together, the four of them constituted the strike force that would infiltrate the newly fabricated halo ring and initiate the firing sequence. Their strategy was simple. After splitting into two separate teams, the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer were to pilot a Pelican directly to the control room and clear any hostiles that lay there, while Thel went with Sergeant Johnson and brought the _Forward unto Dawn_ as close to the control room as possible. According to VEGA's scans of the terrain, the nearest suitable landing zone to the control room was roughly five kilometers away from the structure, so Thel and Sergeant Johnson would have to anchor the _Dawn_ and make their final rendezvous via a smaller vehicle. They were to meet up with the Chief and the Slayer once they reached the structure and provide support to Cortana as she initiated the firing sequence.

A good plan.

As Thel approached the other end of the hangar, his height gave him a clear view of two stagnant beings among the bustling flow of those that were leaving the frigate. On the cargo ramp of a Pelican, both the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer stood silently preparing for their departure. The Master Chief stood with his battle rifle relaxed, observing the crowd that surged around him with an attentive eye. If Thel were to guess as to the thoughts that occupied the Spartan's mind, he would say that the Chief was reminding himself of why he was fighting. Seeing all of the lives that he was saving by going on this mission, steeling himself for what was to come, and focusing his senses to their peak. The Spartan noticed Thel as he approached and gave him a small but sincere nod of acknowledgement, which Thel returned in kind before looking in the Doom Slayer's direction.

Contrary to the Master Chief, the Slayer's attention was not directed to those around him. Instead, he was currently examining the exterior of a needler with a keen gaze, taking in every inch of the weapon and testing its balance in his hand. Seeing the Slayer familiarize himself with the weapon reminded Thel of one of the few conversations he had shared with VEGA. During their interaction, VEGA had informed him that the Doom Slayer had an uncanny ability to master any weapon he got his hands on in mere seconds. Whether that ability stemmed from a reservoir of experience or some supernatural will, VEGA could not say, as even the A.I.'s knowledge was limited in that regard. Whatever the case was, Thel saw no harm in offering some of his knowledge as he reached the Pelican.

"The needles are capable of tracking targets," he said, causing the Slayer to look over at him.

"Their trajectory can change mid-flight to home in on your enemy, reducing much of the need to aim. And when they strike organic material, the needles will burst, causing additional trauma to the area."

The Slayer nodded, seemingly already committing the knowledge to memory. From his armor, VEGA chose that moment to speak.

"I am unable to find records or blueprints of how this weapon functions, Thel 'Vadam. Since it appears to use ammunition fabricated from the moons of Sanghelios, perhaps you could enlighten me on its inner workings."

Thel lowered his head slightly at VEGA's words.

"The weapon itself was originally designed long ago, before the induction of the sangheili into the Covenant. Since that time, many files and records on its functionality have been lost. Despite its common usage, there is still much that is unknown about how the needler works. I'm afraid we have the hierarchs to thank for that."

What Thel said was true, for as long as he could remember, every male on Sangheilios had been bred as a warrior. The Covenant had provided them with everything from food to materials to technology since before his father's father, and in return, the elites had served dutifully in their ranks, abandoning their crafts of agriculture and engineering. In the process, they had lost many of their traditional ways and even a part of themselves as well. They had sold their identity to the San'Shyuum in exchange for their survival.

"There is…much that has been lost," Thel said lowering his gaze to the floor for a brief moment. "To rebuild what we once had…I can only hope that I will see it in my lifetime."

"There ain't nothing that's lost that can't be replaced, Arbiter. But for now, how about we put that on the back burner until _after_ we've saved the galaxy?"

Thel turned his head to the source of the voice to see Sergeant Johnson approach the Pelican, battle rifle slung over his shoulder. He shared a nod with the Chief and the Slayer, then addressed them all in a group.

"Chief, you and the Slayer dust off in five. The Shipmaster's picking up everyone else in ten, then the Arbiter and I are on your trail immediately following. Once we find a place to put her down, we'll come meet you. Think you two can handle yourselves until then?"

Cortana then appeared on a terminal next to the Pelican.

"I don't think you need to be worried about these two, Sergeant Major. Remember, they've got the two most advanced A.I. in the galaxy looking after them. We'll make sure they don't get into too much trouble, right VEGA?"

"I will do all that I can to assist," came VEGA's calm reply.

"See? No worries!" Cortana said, placing a hand on her hip coyly. Johnson smirked in response.

"Roger that…and ma'am…It's good to have you back."

The construct's smile grew.

"Good to be back."

VEGA's voice abruptly cut in with a tone of polite urgency, cutting off whatever Sergeant Johnson had to say next.

"Be advised, my scans of the surface are currently picking up an influx of Flood activity. Initial analysis confirms that multiple Flood forms are congregating at the locations of previous battlegrounds."

"You mean they're going back to places we've been already?" Johnson snorted. "What kind of backwards-ass strategy is that? There's nothing left down there!"

"On the contrary, Sergeant Johnson," VEGA rebutted calmly. "After further inspection, I have noticed that the parasite is infecting all available corpses it comes across. Due to the high level of conflict, there are many corpses available at each battle ground for infection."

"Just how many corpses are we talking, VEGA?"

"Initial estimates are from five to ten thousand, Sergeant Johnson."

An unbidden chill ran down Thel's back at the sheer number of bodies. A brief moment of consideration told him that a corpse count that high could have only been the Slayer's doing. For the first time, his bloodlust had been a drawback. By cutting through the Covenant's forces unchecked, he had set nothing short of a buffet for the Flood to feast upon.

"And just where are the new Flood forms going after they've been infected?" Johnson asked irritably.

"They are all making for nearby air transport," VEGA replied. "Once on board every Flood vessel is making for one destination."

There existed a moment of dreaded pause, then Cortana's hologram spoke up.

"I don't need twenty guesses to figure out where _that_ is, do I?"

With a sarcastic turn of her head, Cortana gazed out of the open hangar doors of the _Forward unto Dawn_. The incomplete Halo ring loomed eerily on the horizon.

**_A/N: And there we go, folks! Chapter 6 in the books! This chapter was actually slightly different than the others in that it did not have any actual ripping and tearing in it. The downside of that is pretty self-evident, but the good news for that is that the next chapter will just have to make up for it haha. As always, please don't hesitate to drop a review if you'd like to comment on my writing. I thank you all for being so patient with me as I continue the story, and I hope I can deliver more content as the year wraps up! Thank you so much!_**

**_-ImpulsiveWeaver_**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_**A/N: That's right folks! It's time for Chapter 7! Really not a lot to be said here, so I'll just let you get right into the action! I own nothing, and enjoy!**_

John sat at the helm of the Pelican, taking extra care not to lose control as the gravitational field of the Ark blended with that of the Halo ring. Spartans had always been trained to pilot in sporadic conditions, but even with Cortana assisting him, the task required his full attention. The Pelican shot through the space between the Ark and the new ring, which was now hanging lazily above the Ark's core. In the co-pilot's seat sat the Doom Slayer, already familiarized with the Pelican's controls and providing extra assistance if necessary.

Departure from the _Dawn_ had been a hasty affair after VEGA had reported on the Flood's activities. As of this moment, their top priority was to get to the ring's control room and activate it before the Flood breached its defenses. If the Flood was able to dismantle the ring before they got there in time, there would be little they could do to quell the hordes that where attempting to escape the Ark.

As John navigated to the coordinates Cortana had previously indicated, the Shipmaster's voice came on over the COM.

"We are aboard, both humans and elites. Arbiter, can I trust that I shall see you on the other side?"

"You have my word," came the Arbiter's voice from the_ Forward unto Dawn_. "This is our fight, and I will see it finished."

One thing that John had noticed during his time with the Arbiter was just how similar the elites really were to humans. Both possessed a sense of honor and camaraderie that wove bonds stronger than blood among those that held them dear. He had seen it in his own bond with the Arbiter, and even more recently with the Doom Slayer, who had set aside his quest for vengeance if only for a moment to assist the humanity of this world. To do something like that, to stand and fight in a war that wasn't your own…there were many that could learn a lot from the Slayer's actions.

Slowly, the controls began to settle as John maneuvered the Pelican into the ring's lower atmosphere. Beneath the cloud cover, John saw that the terrain encompassing the control room was of a snowy mountain range. The jagged peaks rose and fell with the terrain, and the snow whipped and whirled around the Pelican as it dropped further beneath the clouds. Just over the horizon, John spotted the spire that was perched atop the control room's main structure. It stood out prominently against the natural-looking landscape, jutting out into the sky like the pride of the Forerunners manifest.

"Johnson," Cortana said over the COM. "The control room is in sight. ETA: two minutes."

"Roger that," crackled Johnson's voice from the radio. "We're bringing the _Dawn_ in to the coordinates VEGA indicated, more to follow on when we can reach you."

"I detect numerous Flood contacts at the base of the structure," VEGA said from the Doom Slayer's helmet. "Be wary of possible-"

VEGA was abruptly cut off as the air suddenly came alight with anti-aircraft fire. Fuel rod ordinance peppered the sky, and John immediately sent the Pelican into a sharp nosedive to avoid the barrage.

"Good call, VEGA!" Cortana joked over the roar of the engines. "A little late, but no worries!"

There were times when John almost envied her ability to retain her wit even in the heat of battle. It was something very few possessed, and despite the severity of the situation, he couldn't help but find it mildly comforting. As John continued weaving around the cannon fire to get in closer to the structure, the air around them only seemed to grow thicker with burning plasma. Without warning, the Pelican suddenly jerked to the side, offsetting their trajectory and sending it into a spin, and a brief glance at the altimeter showed John that they had very little time before they crashed into the ground.

"We've been hit on the port side wing!" Cortana called out as she accessed a damage report. "Everybody hang on! This may sting a bit!"

Suddenly, John was jolted hard as the Pelican slammed into the snow. The force of the impact threw him back into his seat, but the Pelican quickly screeched to a stop after sliding for a brief moment, casting the entire cabin into silence as the dust settled.

"Spartan?" came the Arbiter's voice from the damaged radio. John could barely make out his voice from the immense static and feedback coming through the speaker.

"Spartan, do you copy?"

John let out a grunt in response and pushed himself up in his seat. His armor had absorbed much of the impact, but his enhanced body still ached slightly.

"We're a little banged up, but nothing a quick stretch won't fix," came Cortana's voice. "VEGA, you good?"

"No injuries to report," VEGA's voice said as the Doom Slayer easily unbuckled himself and stood up from his seat.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Cortana snorted as John unbuckled himself as well.

"We are approximately half a kilometer from the structure," VEGA said. His demeanor constantly pleasant as the Doom Slayer helped John to his feet.

"It will take very little time to close the distance, but be advised: The Flood is congregating towards our position. I suggest we move quickly."

No more needed to be said. Grabbing an assault rifle and a rocket launcher from the weapon rack, the Master Chief punched a button on the bulkhead of the Pelican, causing the drop doors to open in the rear of the ship. A bright white light shone from the snow in contrast to the dark interior of the Pelican, but John's visor immediately compensated, giving him a clear view of the rugged mountain terrain outside. The wind howled and whirled into the cargo bay, but John had already stridden across the cargo hold and out onto the new ring. The Doom Slayer followed closely behind.

After quickly scanning for any hostile contacts, John caught sight of the control room in the distance. The heavy snowfall obscured some of the finer features, but John easily noticed the all-too-familiar Forerunner design and make on its surface.

"Halo…" Cortana mused, almost to herself. "It's so new and unfinished."

"Indeed," VEGA chimed in. "There are many small differences between the simulated conditions on this ring and those that occur in nature. While it is evident that the Forerunners possessed a plethora of knowledge on nature itself, the simulated conditions on this ring are almost too perfect to be considered natural."

"What do you mean?" John asked, admittedly curious as to how this simulated snowy region differed from the natural scene it was attempting to emulate.

"Take the snowfall, for instance," VEGA said. "By observing the rate of fall compared to the humidity, barometric pressure, etc., I noticed that the temperature is kept at the exact value that creates heavy snowfall instead of hail or sleet. Such an occurrence almost never occurs in nature, and yet here it remains perfectly set at the ideal temperature."

"I've noticed it too," Cortana said as the Chief and the Slayer both began their march towards the control room. "But it wasn't the point I was trying to make. With the ring not being entirely complete, I'm not sure of what we can expect when we fire it."

"We'll head for the portal, and we'll all go home," John said. His voice carried the same monotony that it always did, but Cortana had known him long enough to find it reassuring.

Without warning, a horrible screeching echoed off the mountainous peaks around them, sending an unbidden chill down John's spine. As if on cue, an army of Flood forms crested the hill between them and the control room, all armed to the teeth and bearing down on the group with extreme prejudice.

"I believe the correct term to use here would be: 'Easier said than done', Master Chief," came VEGA's voice once again.

The Doom Slayer said nothing, but he may as well have said a thousand words as the sound of his shotgun being pumped echoed throughout the terrain.

…

Within the first few milliseconds of engaging the hostile Flood forces, John remembered just how much Cortana improved his combat capabilities when she was in his armor. That cool liquid feeling that permeated his being when she was there felt comforting as he fired, took cover, evaded, and repeated the process. With Cortana's presence amping up his already astounding senses, John could not help but feel a sense of invincibility as his movements became as smooth as glass and his reactions as sharp as a knife.

With Cortana, he faced the Flood with a newfound confidence, which was already compounded by the familiar ease he felt when he fought alongside the Doom Slayer, who at the current moment was disemboweling as many Flood forms as he could with his chainsaw. John almost shook his head at the sight. Even with Cortana back at his side, his capabilities still were not at the level of carnage that the Doom Slayer was capable of. At this moment, the Doom Slayer's wrath seemed to be especially ferocious, as many of the Flood forms he currently faced were likely reanimated corpses of those that he had slain already. To face them again no doubt irked the already vengeful soul, and his annoyance was evident in how forceful and lethal his movements were.

"More on your left, Chief," came Cortana's voice from inside his head. "Watch out, there're a few carrier forms among them."

John quickly focused his sights and fired into the encroaching forms, striking the combat and carrier forms alike with his gunfire. At the same time, he jumped backward as the carrier forms ruptured.

Flood carrier forms had always proven troublesome, as when they fell, they tended to explode and spread their supply of infector forms stored within a considerable radius. If the infector forms were not dealt with immediately, then they would overwhelm their adversary through sheer numbers.

Luckily, John had dealt with his fair share of them before, and knew exactly what to do, before the carrier form exploded, he had already swapped his assault rifle for the rocket launcher on his back and immediately loosed a rocket in the direction of the fallen carriers. As they exploded, the rocket struck the snow between them and detonated, destroying the infector forms before they had a chance to clear the blast radius. The threat had been effectively neutralized.

Inside his mind, John heard Cortana's whistle of approval.

"I almost forgot about that trick," she said.

"Lucky, _I_ didn't," John replied simply as he took out his assault rifle and zeroed in on a fresh group of combat forms.

For the next few minutes, nothing was said as the Chief and the Slayer carved a path to the base of the structure, putting down any Flood that stood in their way. Shortly after arriving at the base, VEGA spoke into his helmet.

"My scans indicate that the control room is located at the top of the structure. There are access ramps to the West that we can use to reach it."

John did not even need to acknowledge VEGA, as both he and the Doom Slayer were already making their way to the side.

"Cortana! VEGA!" came Sergeant Johnson's voice over the radio. "The Arbiter and I have docked the _Dawn_ a few kilometers from your position. We are currently en route by Warthog. ETA: three minutes!"

"Roger that, Sergeant Major," Cortana said. "You can hurry, but I think we might be all finished up by the time you get here."

"Not if I can help it!" Johnson crackled over the COM.

John once again found himself admiring Cortana's nonchalance in the midst of a firefight. He had forgotten how uplifting it had always been to him.

"If he hurries, he and the Arbiter just might be able to pick off a straggler or two," she said, switching to the tactical channel so that only John, VEGA, and the Slayer could hear.

"I am doubtful of that, Cortana," VEGA replied.

"Oh yeah? Why is that?"

As if on cue, John turned his head at the sound of squelching flesh. With perfect timing, he saw the Slayer curb stomp a tank form into the snow under the crushing force of his armored boot. Unable to keep its integrity, the upper half of the tank form yowled once before exploding into a fine mist. Its cries cut off immediately.

"I believe the reason should be self-explanatory."

A few minutes of tactical movement and brutal carnage later, John and the Slayer stood before the massive double doors that led to the control room. What remained of the initial Flood force was currently being dealt with by the Sentinels that guarded the structure, and John could hear their cries of anger and pain alongside the low hum of the Sentinels' laser weaponry.

"Chief! Slayer!" came a voice from his left. From around the corner, Sergeant Johnson and the Arbiter emerged, both carrying weapons of their own.

"There's a pass that leads right to here!" Johnson said as he strode over to them. "As soon as we finish up here, we all haul ass back through the way we came. We've got the Warthog parked at the entrance."

Finally reaching the doors, Johnson turned and started broadcasting on all friendly comms.

"Spark? You in there? If you can hear me, open the damn door!"

There was a brief pause, then the monitors synthetic voice cut through the static.

"Of course, Reclaimer! I would be happy to. But first, I must ensure that all Flood forms are disposed of. I'm afraid that contamination protocol must be followed."

"Your Sentinels are frying them as we speak! Why can't you-!?"

Johnson's voice fell into the background as Cortana spoke directly to John.

"Is that the Monitor? From 04? I had no idea he was here. I see he's still a pain in the ass."

John did not respond.

"Just open the door already!" Johnson barked, his temper obviously wearing thin.

"I'm sorry, Reclaimer, but I cannot allow—"

Guilty Spark was cut off as the Slayer punched his armored gauntlet into the dense forerunner metal, sending a resounding shriek echoing throughout the canyon. With a heave, the Doom Slayer removed his fist from the metal, leaving a sizable hole where his punch had penetrated the frame.

"False Reclaimer, please do not attempt to force entry. The door is far too sturdy to be opened without continuous bombardment."

The Slayer paid no attention to the Monitor's ranting, instead grabbing both sides of the hole with his hands. For a moment, nothing happened, then the metal groaned deeply and began to yield to the Slayer's strength, bending and tearing away as he pulled his arms apart.

"Stop this at once!" Spark said over the COM. "Containment protocol must be followed! The Flood will not gain access to the facility!"

"Can it, lightbulb!" Johnson said irritably as the Slayer opened the hole wide enough to squeeze through. "Now you can either help us along, or we'll use our crowbar guy over here to clear any more of your obstacles!"

There was a brief moment of silence save for the Sentinel activity behind them.

"Very well…" came a disgruntled reply. The metal shrieked and resisted as the door opened, and for a moment it stuck as the warped material ground against itself, but after a moment, it relented, opening all the way for the group to enter.

"Your resourcefulness continues to be welcome, Slayer," the Arbiter said as they entered the hallway through the doors.

"I'm tracking more Flood dispersal pods closing in on our position," VEGA said. "As the entrance can no longer seal properly, I suggest that the Doom Slayer and I remain here at the door to keep them at bay while you all activate the ring."

"Sounds like a plan!" Johnson said, hefting his Spartan Laser to his shoulder. "Chief! Arbiter! Let's move!"

John spared the Slayer only a quick glance before following Johnson down the hallway. The Arbiter followed alongside, he too sparing the Slayer a quick nod before they rounded the corner at the end of the hall.

Just as the Slayer disappeared from sight, John felt another presence force its way into his mind. Whatever space Cortana occupied was suddenly stuffed with this course and violating existence, and John grimly recognized it as a voice resounded throughout his being.

**"Do I take life, or give it? Who is victim, and who is foe?"**

John hesitated a brief moment as the presence withdrew. Cortana's cool liquid-like essence thankfully returned, but John knew that she had felt it as well.

"Chief…" the A.I. whispered apprehensively. Her entire being faltered in fear, and he found himself unable to blame her.

"I'm alright," he said. "It passed quickly."

"No, I…It's worse than we thought," Cortana said, her voice quickly gaining an edge of panic. "I felt it too, and after being trapped for so long…just now…I _saw_ it. The Gravemind…It's trying to rebuild itself on this ring!"

Immediately, Cortana addressed all of them, even the Slayer at the entrance.

"We need to move! The control room is close!"

"Through here!" Johnson called out, taking a sharp left as another door opened wide.

Stepping through, John scanned his surroundings and saw that the three of them now stood in a massive domed chamber. A quick glance down showed that the chamber continued downward in its spherical shape, and that the three of them stood on a platform that extended all the way to the center. At the end, a large console sat before a holographic representation of the ring rotating about the point. The grand display was lost on the Chief however, as a blood-curdling series of roars came from down the hallway, causing the three of them to turn to the noise.

"Chief, get the door!" Johnson yelled. John was already moving before he even finished his sentence.

John punched a command on the pad by the door, and it sealed shut with a loud hiss.

"VEGA!" Johnson called over the COM. "What's going on out there?"

"We have halted Flood advance at the entrance, Sergeant Johnson. However, I am detecting multiple Flood signatures entering the structure from a breach on the eastern side. The Slayer and I are currently en route to you."

"Got it!" Johnson replied before, looking over to the Chief.

"Let's make this quick!" he called, holding out his arm to John, who nodded once and disconnected Cortana's chip from his helmet. With only a brief moment of hesitation, John passed the chip to Sergeant Johnson, who met his gaze and gave him a reassuring nod.

"I'm not gonna lose her too," he said resolutely before striding to the console.

John watched him for a moment, then shifted his attention to the door, moving to stand guard with the Arbiter.

The Sangeheili warrior stood facing the door, intently listening to the distant rumble of carnage beyond. He did not look over when John stopped beside him.

For a moment, the two of them remained silent. And John glanced over his shoulder once to see that Guilty Spark had dropped down from above and was now conversing with Sergeant Johnson. It was then that Thel spoke.

"The Slayer, he has seen this before. I am certain of it."

John remained silent, but turned his head slightly in the Arbiter's direction, indicating that he had his attention.

"He has stood at the brink like we do now, balancing between salvation and desolation, and if what VEGA has told us is true, then we already know what the outcome was. Perhaps that is why he fights with such passion, why he set aside his quest for vengeance to aid us…"

John completely turned his gaze to Thel this time, knowing that even though the Arbiter could not see his face, he was all too aware of what the gesture meant. Thel continued.

"It is pointless to chase what could have been, but I cannot help but wonder what would have become of us had he not arrived. Would we still teeter on the edge of extinction as we do now, or would we have been lost long ago?"

John had not given much thought to what would have happened if VEGA had not brought the Doom Slayer here, as like the Arbiter had said, it was pointless to ponder 'what-ifs'. Hearing Chief Mendez's words once again in his mind, John decided to relay the advice he had been given from what seemed almost like a lifetime ago.

"All that matters is here and now. There is nothing else."

Thel spared him a glance, then nodded contemplatively.

"Yes, now that we are so close…"

Thel was interrupted by a commotion and a yell of agony that came from behind them. Whirling around quickly, John saw Sergeant Johnson crumple forward against the console, his entire back raked with severe burns. Above him, Guilty Spark hovered menacingly, the robot's single blue eye now a deep red signifying that he was in combat mode. Training immediately took over, and John was halfway across the platform in the blink of an eye.

"Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" Spark screeched, immediately turning and blasting John with his eye beam before he could reach him.

John's shields failed almost immediately, and the heat was intense enough to burn his skin beneath his armor as he grunted and fell backward from the force of the laser. Landing roughly on his back, John hissed as pain coursed throughout his being.

"Protocol dictates action!" Spark yelled irritably, looking down at John as he struggled to stand back up.

As his shields struggled to recharge, John heard the Arbiter open fire on Guilty Spark behind him, but the carbine's ammunition had little to no effect on the robust A.I. and Spark returned fire with his eye beam, blasting the Arbiter to the floor with a prolonged blast.

"I see now that helping you was wrong!"

With an agonized grunt, John struggled to his feet. His rifle was still in his hands, but before he could bring the weapon to bear, Spark hit him once more with a controlled burst from his beam. John grit his teeth and fell down to one knee as his shields failed once more.

"This ring is mine!" Spark bellowed, his eye already brightening for another blast.

"Not for long…"

An intense red laser suddenly struck the floating A.I. from the side, and Spark listed sideways before tumbling to the floor. The A.I. was obviously still functional, but he was damaged from the blast and was having difficulty lifting into the air again.

"Chief! Get over here!" came Johnson's strangled voice from the console. He was on his back, but his Spartan Laser was held firmly against his shoulder.

John forced the pain to the back of his mind and sprinted over to Johnson's injured form, hearing the low drone of his shields recharging again. As he knelt down, Johnson forced the laser into his hands.

"Take this…and kick his ass!" Johnson coughed out before grunting and falling back.

John did not even have time to nod. In one smooth motion, he shouldered the laser and turned back toward Guilty Spark, who had just lifted himself back into the air. The laser was already charging. It's low hum quickly turning into a high-pitched whine.

"I do not think so, Reclaimer!" Spark yelled, firing his beam again.

John rolled to the side to evade the strike, and it was only thanks to his enhanced reflexes that the beam didn't strike him dead center. Spark, however, was still incredibly fast, and the beam glanced off his exposed right side, dropping his shields by half. Even with his shields, John could still feel the scorching heat against his skin as he recovered from the roll and took aim once more. The noise of the laser reached fever pitch, and with a jarring kick, a red-hot beam burst from the weapon and struck Guilty Spark slightly off center.

The floating A.I. flew backward from the force, falling into a spin as the momentum continued through its side.

John quickly recovered from the kick of the weapon, and immediately squeezed the trigger to begin the charging sequence again.

"Enough!" came Spark's enraged cry. It had taken him a lot less time to recover from the second hit than the first, and before John could move again, Spark fired his eye beam directly at the Spartan Laser on John's shoulder, landing a devastating blow that once again forced John to the ground. The remnants of the Spartan Laser clattered away, most of it vaporized from the heat of the eye beam.

Due to the indirect hit, John's shields had held, but his shoulder still screamed from the impact and from the shock of the laser being wrenched from it. Once again, John ignored the pain and rolled with the impact, somersaulting backward and onto his feet.

Finding himself without a weapon once again, John back peddled to put space between him and Guilty Spark. His top priority then became evasion as he saw Spark charge his laser again, but before he could duck away, a sudden force shoved him aside. John looked to the source and saw the Doom Slayer's form through his visor. The warrior was holding his gauss canon, its deep red glow complimenting the Slayer's dark green armor.

"Sierra-117, stand clear," came VEGA's voice from the Slayer's armor. As the A.I. spoke, the Doom Slayer twisted a handle on the side of the weapon, and the entire gauss canon suddenly came alive and began to transform. The forked ends suddenly separated further from each other, and the central driver of the weapon suddenly glowed brighter and began whirring much faster than the weapon did in its normal state. Electricity began to arc in the open space between the weapon, causing it to glow even brighter. In addition, the Doom Slayer himself widened his feet, bracing himself against the weapon.

"False Reclaimer! I should have known you'd be behind this!" Spark cried; his eye glowing brightly with power.

The A.I. was too late however, as the Doom Slayer squeezed the trigger on the transformed gauss cannon. A blinding red flash filled John's vision, and his visor compensated as best it could before the blast of recoil crashed against him. John grunted involuntarily, and he turned just in time to see the thick red beam tear completely through Guilty Spark as though he wasn't there.

Whatever of the A.I.'s body that wasn't caught by the beam flew in all directions, and small pieces and ash rained down onto the platform.

There was a brief moment of silence as the air cleared, then the Doom Slayer twisted the handle once more, causing the gauss canon to retract back to its original form. The Slayer then gestured to Sergeant Johnson and nodded once to the Master Chief before turning to assist the Arbiter to his feet.

John hurried over to Sergeant Johnson's inert form, and the older Marine grunted an agonized greeting.

"Always showing up to steal your thunder, isn't he?"

His voice was weak, and though he was on his back, John could still see the smoke coming from his wounds. A small part of the Spartan knew that there was nothing he could do. Johnson's wounds were too great, but John stubbornly forced it down in denial and knelt beside the Sergeant Major.

"I'm getting you out of here," he said.

Johnson let out an agonized chuckle before scowling in pain and shaking his head.

"No…no you're not…"

His voice was growing weaker, and at that moment, even John could not deny the truth. He hated that feeling. He hated that it hurt more and more every time he felt it, and he hated that it would always be there. Reaching out, Johnson clasped the Master Chief's gauntlet in both of his hands, and John felt Cortana's chip pass into his grip.

"Don't…don't let her go, Chief. Don't ever let her go…"

John looked down to him, unable to tear his eyes away from Johnson's dying gaze.

"Send me out…with a bang…"

And at that moment, his grip went loose, and his head fell back. One last sigh escaped Sergeant Johnson's lips, and he went limp. He was gone.

John watched as Johnson's hand fell from his, an uncomfortably familiar numbness entering his body. He looked down at the chip in his hands, then wearily stood and strode over to the console. His limbs felt weighted and foreign to him, and he hated that he knew that feeling all too well. Taking a deep breath, John inserted the chip into the console, and there was only a brief moment of silence before the control room came alive around him.

"Yank me, Chief," came Cortana's voice from the console, her energetic tone was replaced with a somber vibe. John did as she was instructed, taking the chip and reinserting it into his helmet.

"John," came her voice from within his mind. "I'm so sorry."

John said nothing.

…

Thel stood silently with the Doom Slayer as the chamber came to life. Like the previous installations, a large ignition beam burst from the space below, arcing through the middle of the chamber, through the roof, and into the sky above. However, after a moment, the ring began to strain, its incomplete structure unable to withstand the energy it was utilizing.

The ground beneath Thel's feet suddenly began to tremble, and suddenly the entire chamber began to fall apart. Struts and sheet metal began raining down from all sides, crashing onto the platform and into the void below.

"Spartan!" he called. "We must go!"

The Master Chief turned and ran towards him as a large beam crashed to the ground directly behind him.

In no time at all, the three of them had regrouped and were making a beeline for the exit, but just before they rounded the corner, Thel saw the Master Chief hesitate and glance back, looking towards the body of his fallen Sergeant.

Thel reached out and placed his hand on the Demon's shoulder, and the Spartan looked back at him.

"I am sorry, Spartan," he said. "But come, he would not want our journey to end here."

The Master Chief nodded in return, and Thel removed his hand and fell back into a sprint.

Turning the corner, Thel saw with dread that the hallway beyond was littered with Flood forms, all of which were quickly closing the distance to them. Thel cursed inwardly that he had left his Carbine behind, but before he could lament further, the Doom Slayer pulled in front of the two of them and opened fire with his rocket launcher.

"Please stay close behind us," VEGA's voice carried over the rumbling. "We will clear a path through the cliffs."

"We have to get through the pass," Cortana called. "Johnson and the Arbiter took the Warthog here; we can use that to make it back to the _Dawn_!"

"Even in death, your Sergeant guides us," Thel mused as the Doom Slayer continued to blast any encroaching Flood forms away. A few of the forms had weapons, and Thel reached down and scooped up a plasma rifle that landed near him. The Master Chief did the same.

After a few brief minutes of running and holding back the Flood, the three of them had cleared the entrance of the structure and were running through the snow-laden landscape.

Rounding another corner, Thel saw the Warthog come into view at the mouth of the pass.

"There!"

"To think I'd be ecstatic at the sight of a Warthog…" Cortana mused aloud.

"Master Chief, Arbiter, climb aboard. The Doom Slayer will run in front to clear any obstacles between us and the _Forward unto Dawn_," VEGA said. The Slayer nodded once and took off towards the _Dawn_.

"Crowbar _and_ bulldozer capable?" Cortana joked. "Hard to believe he's single."

Thel heard the construct's attempt at humor but disregarded it as he climbed onto the gunner's mount. The Master Chief jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine, giving it no time to idle before gunning the throttle after the Doom Slayer. Around them, Halo began to tear itself apart. The entirely new world shattering before their very eyes.

_**A/N: I gotta say, I'm kind of shocked. It's been over a year now since Universal DOOM came out, and if you told me that I'd still be going strong at this point, I'd have said you were crazy. But lo and behold, here I am! So at this point, I'd just like to say thanks to everyone that helped encourage me to come this far. Without your support, I doubt I'd ever even conceive something like this! Thanks so much, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!**_

_**-ImpulsiveWeaver**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_**A/N: Hello? What's this? Another chapter? How could this be? Honestly, it's amazing what someone can do when they actually have time to do it. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Chapter 8! Enjoy! I own nothing!**_

The Warthog's engine roared as John pressed the pedal to the floor. Shortly after leaving the pass, the wintery mountain landscape opened wide into an unfinished section of the ring. Instead of a naturally occurring landscape such as a desert or mountain range, a myriad of metallic platforms interlaced to make up the skeletal structure of the Halo. According to the coordinates VEGA had given, the _Dawn_ was docked in this unfinished section. With the Arbiter in the chain gun mount, all John could do was follow the Doom Slayer as VEGA plotted their course back to the frigate.

Just ahead, John could see the Doom Slayer clearing the way. A large stretch of forerunner scaffolding had fallen into their path, and though it wasn't very thick, the Warthog did not have enough fortitude to plow through it.

With no hesitation, the Slayer lowered his shoulder and charged through the obstacle, causing the metallic framework to buckle and give way. John drove through the gap mere seconds later, barely fitting the Warthog's massive bulk through the hole the Slayer had made.

Ahead, the Slayer put on a burst of speed, and as John looked forward, he saw numerous Flood forms engaged in combat with the Halo's Sentinel force. Paying little mind to either side, the Slayer immediately opened fire on the nearest contacts with his plasma rifle. Flood and Sentinels alike fell as he peppered the battlefield, and for the first time, John saw a change in his fighting style.

As usual, if the Slayer saw a killing shot, he would take it, but as John drew closer with the Warthog, he saw that if the Slayer could not bring down a target quickly, he opted for a crippling shot to the leg or other lower extremities. This allowed him to quickly disable the target before moving onto the next so that they would give no trouble to the Warthog as it passed by.

"Slayer," the Arbiter broadcast the COM. "Shorten your lead on us, and I will support from this gun mount."

With that, the Arbiter opened fire on the contacts ahead as well, dropping many Sentinels from the air as the rapid-fire chain gun spewed bullets into the air in front of them.

There was no response, but John saw the Slayer shorten his lead so that both he and the Arbiter could engage targets together.

Over the sounds of the engine, gunfire, and Flood screams, John heard VEGA broadcast over all friendly frequencies.

"Attention all remaining human and Sangheili forces, this is VEGA broadcasting from the surface of the Halo ring. The ignition sequence has begun. All remaining forces not under orders should return to Earth through the portal. Detonation in approximately T-minus eight minutes."

VEGA's broadcast was set to repeat, and as it began again, John heard Cortana open up a COM channel with the _Dawn_.

"_Forward unto Dawn_, this is Cortana. Fire up the engines, we're on our way to you!"

"Roger that, ma'am," came the communication officer's voice from the bridge. "Recommend you hurry, this whole damn place is falling apart!"

"Confirmed, en route by Warthog! See you in five minutes," Cortana replied. John could hear the urgency in her voice, and he knew she was running as many scenarios as she possibly could through her programming. Any way they looked at it, this was going to be close.

…

The Warthog's tires squealed as John rounded another bend at top speed, the treated rubber struggling to maintain solid contact with the platform beneath. The engine was overheating, and John could see the smoke from under the hood. The vehicle was becoming more difficult to handle, and John could feel the ground beneath trembling more and more with every second constantly reminding them of the ticking bomb they were driving across. Behind him, John heard the Arbiter's voice carry over the noise.

"Spartan! There, just ahead!"

John spared a glance, and there hovered the _Dawn_, dead ahead.

"_Forward unto Dawn_, we see you!" Cortana called into the radio. ETA: two minutes!"

"Roger ma'am, but we got a problem!" came the reply. "Our LZ just collapsed, we're keeping her in a tight hover, but we can't pick you up with the drop bay platform. We're sending a Hornet out to extract you. Make for the rear of the frigate. The Hornet will meet you!"

"Roger that! Hornet pilot, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, ma'am," came the voice of Private Dubbo over the static. "Damn, this whole damn ring is going up in flames! I've got a lock on your tag, making for you now!"

"We see you, Dubbo!" Cortana exclaimed. From the rear of the frigate, John saw a lone Hornet emerge, rocketing towards them at full power.

"Got a visual on you, ma'am! Bringing her down now. Is the sarge or Slayer—"

From deep beneath the platform, a large explosion suddenly burst through ahead of them, arching high into the sky and engulfing the Hornet in a massive fireball.

"Dubbo!" Cortana cried out.

"Agh!" came a pained reply over the static. "Port side engine is cooked! I can't keep her steady!"

From the cloud of smoke, the Hornet emerged, its left engine in flames and its entire hull charred black. The Hornet hung in the air for a moment, then listed to the side, peeling off and losing altitude rapidly.

"No!"

John immediately jerked the wheel to follow the falling Hornet, but VEGA's voice quickly sounded over the radio.

"Sierra-117, do not deviate from your course. The Doom Slayer and I will retrieve Private First Class Dubbo."

John almost made to argue, but before he could, the Slayer veered off and put on a burst of speed to the Hornet as it plummeted to the ground.

"VEGA is correct, Spartan," the Arbiter called from the gun mount. "Only the Slayer possesses the speed to save your comrade."

John spared one last glance to the Slayer, then gunned the engine for the _Dawn_, falling back into his original course.

"Cortana to the bridge, the retrieval Hornet is down, recommend immediate assistance!"

"This is the bridge, ma'am, we don't have anything left! All our aircraft are either destroyed or out of commission!"

At this point, John could see the frigate less than 200 meters away. At the moment, it hovered over open air. There was no place left to put her down, and without retrieval aircraft, they couldn't hope to get to her from their position on the ground.

Looking across the platforms left, John saw that the explosion that had knocked Dubbo out of the sky had warped some of the platforms caught in the blast radius. One in particular was angled upward arching into the sky after yielding to the explosion from below.

"This is Spartan-117 to the bridge, maneuver to these coordinates and open rear bay doors. Maintain current orientation," John immediately said, marking the ramp with his HUD.

"Roger that, Master Chief," came the reply. "But we still can't touch down there, there's no place to set her!"

"What are you planning, Chief?" Cortana asked warily.

John didn't answer, and instead veered the Warthog to the left and towards the platform. Up ahead, the _Dawn_ slowly hovered towards the warped ramp as well. It's back end still facing them as it moved across the sky. The rear bay doors slowly droned open, revealing the vehicle hangar inside.

"This is VEGA," came a sudden voice over the COM. "We have retrieved Private Dubbo and are close behind."

Chief could feel Cortana grow anxious. It was something he never understood, but somehow, her cool liquid presence seemed to tense up, and he knew that she deduced his plan.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Chief…I'm not even going to tell you the odds you have of pulling this off."

"Spartan, what madness are you planning?!" the Arbiter called behind him.

John didn't answer either of them, instead he focused his gaze entirely on the _Dawn_ as it arrived in position just beyond the ramp.

"In position, Master Chief," the _Dawn_ reported.

"Drop current altitude by ten meters and hold," John ordered over the COM.

"Roger."

There was now less than thirty meters between them and the ramp. John pressed the gas pedal flat into the floor, and the Warthog gave a strained lurch as the terminal engine gave all the power it had to the wheels.

Twenty meters now.

Ten.

The Warthog hit the ramp at top speed, and John immediately registered weightlessness as the vehicle soared up and out into the open air. Keeping his eyes forward, John saw them rise up to the _Dawn's_ level, and he got a good look at the interior as it rapidly approached.

"Brace!" Cortana urged, and in the next second, the warthog crashed hard into the hanger, throwing both John and the Arbiter from the vehicle. Tucking his head tightly, John rolled with the impact and let himself absorb the blow as he crashed through the hangar, finally stopping as his body struck the side of a Scorpion tank.

…

Dubbo couldn't remember the last time he had been carried, but definitely didn't remember it being anything like this. By some miracle, he hadn't been injured in the Hornet crash, but when the Doom Slayer had arrived to retrieve him, the armored wonder had simply thrown the marine over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and took off at breakneck speed for the frigate. At first, Dubbo had protested, but after realizing that there was no way that he could keep up with the Slayer on foot, he had decided to keep his annoyance to himself.

Dubbo's focus almost immediately turned to fear as he realized that they now had no way to get to the frigate. It was currently hovering about ten meters above them in open air, and unless the Doom Slayer had a jet pack, there was no way they were going to make that jump.

Despite this, the Slayer did not slow down as he neared the edge of the platform. In fact, he only seemed to increase his speed as they drew closer.

"Uh, VEGA?" Dubbo nervously croaked. "What exactly is our plan here?!"

"Hold on tightly, Private Dubbo," was VEGA's reply.

"Wha—?!"

In an instant, the Slayer reached the edge and jumped, jolting Dubbo to the core as they both were suddenly airborne. Below him, Dubbo saw nothing but empty space. This was it; they were falling. They were falling and he was going to die. Dubbo screwed his eyes shut and hoped it would end quickly.

He opened them again in surprise as they collided with something. Instead of thousands of kilometers of nothing beneath them, Dubbo suddenly saw metal. Feeling entirely confused, Dubbo could hardly comprehend what had happened. It was only when the Doom Slayer lifted him off his shoulder and set him down on his own two feet that Dubbo realized that they were standing in the vehicle hangar of the _Dawn_.

"Wha-? How?"

"Private Dubbo!" came Cortana's voice. "Report to general quarters immediately! Secure anything that isn't nailed down and hold on tight! We're getting out of here!"

Glancing to his left, Dubbo saw the Master Chief and the Arbiter standing there as well. Luckily for him, his training took over, and he immediately jumped to action.

"Aye aye, ma'am!"

…

Cortana smiled inwardly as Dubbo ran from the hangar. She had watched as the Doom Slayer had jumped from the ring and into the hangar, and though such a feat should have been impossible, she was beginning to enjoy that the Doom Slayer continued to surprise her. Suddenly remembering where they were, Cortana immediately called to the Arbiter.

"They're going to need a commanding officer up on the bridge! Someone who knows how to command a ship. Think you can handle it?"

The Arbiter looked over, then nodded once.

"Understood," he said. The elite shared a brief glance with the Master Chief and the Doom Slayer before running from the hangar as well.

"Yank me, Chief," Cortana quickly said. John wordlessly complied, removing her chip and inserting her into a nearby terminal.

Immediately taking control of the ship's systems, Cortana appeared on the bridge. The crew were shocked to see her, but she quickly took control.

"We're aboard! All ahead flank! Make for the portal!"

The crew immediately obliged, and Cortana returned to the hanger with the Chief and the Slayer just as the engines fired at full power.

"Hang on!" she said. With that, the ship lurched forward and upward, shifting the direction of gravity down toward the open hangar doors.

…

John held on tightly to the console as gravity tried to pull him back out of the hangar. To his left, the Doom Slayer held tightly to a handle on the wall. The _Dawn_ was powering out of orbit at full speed, and John felt the floor fall away from him as their altitude climbed higher and higher. His grip held, but ahead of him, John heard a violent scraping of metal.

The Warthog.

They hadn't secured it before lifting off, and now it was sliding directly for him. John ducked his head in an effort to avoid it, but the metal chassis glanced off of his right shoulder, breaking his grip on the console and sending him tumbling toward the open bay doors.

"Chief!" Cortana cried out. John righted himself and attempted to find a handhold as he slid across the floor, but nothing was there. There was nothing to grab, nothing to stop him from sliding out the doors and into space.

In desperation, John drew back his fist and punched directly into the metal floor of the hangar. His shields held as the material yielded to his strength, and sparks flew as his fist cut through the floor, slowing him to a stop just before the hangar ended.

Looking up, John saw the Slayer push off the wall and begin to move in his direction. Behind him, the remaining Scorpion in the hangar began to slide across the floor. It's massive bulk quickly gaining momentum.

"Wait!"

It was too late, the Slayer had already moved into the Scorpion's path, and before he could turn around, the armored tank struck him head on, sending him tumbling forward toward John. The force of the blow had been much greater than the Warthog, and the Slayer had been lifted completely off his feet by the impact. With the floor out of reach, the Slayer had no hope of stopping himself before he tumbled out into open space.

With speed granted only to a Spartan, John threw his free hand upward and caught the Slayer's wrist in his fingers as he sailed past him. The Slayer's momentum nearly dislocated his shoulder, but John held tight, ducking his head down once more as the Scorpion flew over his head.

Looking down, John saw the Slayer dangling in space, tethered only by their grip. The Slayer glanced down at the Halo ring tearing itself apart in a planet-shattering fireball, then looked back up and nodded once. John figured that was all the thanks he was going to get.

With a heave, John pulled the Slayer back into the hanger, allowing them both a chance to grab hold and climb back up. Cortana's hologram watched apprehensively.

John pulled himself up as he reached the console, and Cortana smiled at him as he pulled himself up to her level.

"The Arbiter is on the bridge," she said. "Yank me."

John wordlessly obliged. Pulling her chip and sitting himself down on the other side of the console. Taking a brief moment to look over the chip in his hands, he looked in the Slayer's direction before plugging Cortana back into his neural implant.

The Doom Slayer sat down next to him.

"If we don't make it…" Cortana said with a hint of wistfulness.

"We'll make it," John said.

"It's been an honor serving with you…all of you."

"Likewise, Cortana," came VEGA's ever pleasant reply.

The last thing John remembered was the Doom Slayer his fist to his chest in salute. Then the world went white.

_**A/N: Chapter 8 is done! I'll be honest. The words just flowed onto the page with this one. As always, make sure to let me know what you think of the story, be it good or bad. I'm always in the mood to hear feedback. Until next time!**_

_**-ImpulsiveWeaver**_


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

**_A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, it is with the greatest pride and the most absolute pleasure that I gift to you all the final chapter in Of Demons and Slayers. I must admit, when I started writing these last few chapters, I don't know what came over me! It was like I couldn't stop writing! It was incredible! But enough chit chat, there will be time for that at the end. Please enjoy and remember that I own nothing!_**

Thel looked out over the hillside, gazing across the bay that stretched to the horizon as it joined the oceans. The Sun had just begun to rise, bathing the calm waters in a deep golden hue. Though he knew it was not so, Thel almost believed he was back on Sangheilios, looking out over the waters that were not far from his own keep.

Now standing here, on Earth, Thel felt a deeply seated appreciation for what they had done, what they had sacrificed. It was truly moments such as these that were what they fought for, and Thel's only wish was that he could be here under better circumstances.

Gathered on the hillside were a number of high-ranking military leaders. Among them, Thel noticed a few that stood taller than the other members of their race, and he deduced that they must be Spartans as well. Comrades of the Master Chief. He had briefly contemplated speaking to them, but given the current human disposition, he knew it was a poor idea. A small detail of elites had accompanied him to the event, and for as out of place as Thel looked, he was certain that his fellow Sangheili felt twice as much so. The two races stood apart from each other, and though Thel lamented their segregation, he knew that he would only make things worse by attempting to force friendly relations.

Before them all sat a large podium. And on the podium sat a small memorial. A testament to all of the lives that were lost in the journey to the Ark. The memorial itself was the wing of Pelican, inscribed with names and adorned with photographs and mementos of those that had fallen. Among a few of the pictures, Thel recognized the faces of Sergeant Johnson and Commander Keyes.

Standing on the podium was Admiral Hood, poised as ever. And yet, despite his rigidity, Thel could see that the admiral was weary. The man had carried the weight of his entire race on his shoulders, and now that the worst had been avoided, he could finally afford to let himself slow down. But only for a moment, as even though the worst was over, there was still much left to do. In that sentiment, Thel shared in the man's experience. His own home world had many dark days ahead now that the Covenant was no more, and Thel knew that he would be there to witness most if not all of them.

Looking out over the audience before him, Admiral Hood spoke.

"For us, the storm has passed... the war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure; sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight... our fight, was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."

As he spoke, Thel had time to remember all that had brought them here.

They had entered the portal back on the Ark, but the firing of the Halo ring had destabilized the portal and caused it to collapse just as the _Dawn_ had flown through. The ship had been torn apart as a result, cleaving it in half through its midsection, and likely vaporizing its back half.

The remainder of the ship had crashed on Earth, with Thel and the crew surviving.

Drawn back from his thoughts to the present, Thel watched as a ceremonial human detail raised their rifles and fired them out over the ocean. This elite detail bristled and reached warily for their own weapons, but Thel stayed their hands with a look, and they relented, still watching the human guard carefully.

The ceremony concluded shortly after, and Admiral Hood beckoned Thel forward to the memorial. Climbing the stairs, Thel gave a slight bow of respect to the names inscribed.

"I remember how this war started," the admiral said placing his hands behind his back and looking at the memorial. Thel could sense the underlying venom in his voice. "I remember what your kind did to mine."

Lord Hood then paused for a brief moment, and Thel remained silent until he continued. After another moment of silence, Thel heard him give a resigned sigh.

"I can't forgive you. But you do have my thanks for standing by him until the end."

He held out his hand to Thel, offering the human display of respect. Thel looked at his hand, then reached out and clasped it in his own. The size of his palm dwarfed the human's, but the human kept eye contact throughout its entirety. Letting go, Thel dropped his hand back to his side, and the Admiral spoke again.

"It's hard to believe he's dead."

Thel looked at Lord Hood for a moment, then looked back at the memorial. For the first time, he saw a number engraved in the human's language on the wing: '117'. The number belonging to the Master Chief. Next to it, another symbol had been engraved. It belonged to neither human nor Sangheili, but Thel recognized it immediately.

It was the mark of the Doom Slayer.

"Were it so easy…"

…

"Chief, can you hear me?"

John opened his eyes. He was aware that he was falling, and he tensed up in preparation for impact. But the landing never came. Instead, the floor became the ceiling, then the floor, then the ceiling again.

He was spinning slowly. He was floating and spinning. And for a brief moment, he thought he was dead. But then, an empty rifle magazine floated past his face, and he realized that he was far from dead.

He was in space.

Taking in his surroundings, John saw that the only visible light at the moment came from the mounted flashlights on his helmet. Looking around, he saw that he was in a long hallway. The architecture looked vaguely familiar to him.

At the end of the hallway, John saw that it opened up into the vacuum of space itself. Stars blinked back at him through the hole.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure…" came Cortana's response. "When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces…did a number on the Ark."

John pushed off the wall and made his way to the opening as Cortana continued.

The portal was falling apart, and we made it through just in time."

Looking out, John saw that the hallway he was in was part the _Forward unto Dawn_. Or at least, the back half of it. Everything in front was completely gone without a trace. It was like it had been vaporized

"Well, I suppose _they_ did anyway…"

John turned and looked back down the hallway.

"VEGA? The Doom Slayer?"

"I…don't know. I haven't heard anythi—"

"We are here as well, Master Chief," came an all-too-familiar voice from the radio.

"VEGA? You're still with us? Where are you?" Cortana asked.

"We are currently outside the ship. I have been scanning the horizon in an attempt to pinpoint our location."

"Any luck?"

"No matches so far. However, I believe you will fare better than me in this regard, as my details on celestial bodies in this dimension are limited."

"I've…tried also," Cortana said half-heartedly. "I've got nothing. Best we can do is drop a beacon and hope somebody wanders by."

"Slayer, meet us in the stasis room," John said. "We'll talk there."

…

John approached the console and inserted Cortana's chip into the slot. Almost instantly, her translucent form appeared on the holodeck, casting the entire room into a dull blue glow.

From behind her, the Slayer emerged from the hallway. His expression was unreadable, but he nodded once to John as he entered.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece," Cortana said placing her hand on her hip. She gave the Doom Slayer a smile, then her face fell.

"Well, I guess we did it…Truth…the Covenant…the Flood…It's all finished."

John nodded at her words.

"It's finished."

"I'll drop a beacon of course, but it could be a while before somebody finds us. Years even. The Chief has opted for hyper sleep until we can hope for a rescue…"

"If I may, Cortana," VEGA said, politely entering the conversation. "Now that the threat has passed, the Doom Slayer and I must continue on our quest to return to our respective dimension. If it is agreeable, we would like to extend the offer that you two join us. The tether system is stable enough to jump two bodies at once, and we could leave behind detailed instructions on how to build a homing pad so that you two can return once this ship is found."

"No."

Both Cortana and the Doom Slayer turned to John as he spoke.

"You are needed in your world, but we are still needed here. Our war may be finished, but our time is not over."

At his words, the Doom Slayer nodded in agreement.

"Then I suppose this is farewell," VEGA said. "I am glad to have met you both, and while I know that they chances are low, I would not be opposed to meeting you again someday."

The Doom Slayer said nothing, but he reached his hand out to John, who looked back into his visor before reaching out and shaking it. He nodded once.

"Thank you."

"If it is agreeable," VEGA continued. "I would like to remain to share some information with Cortana after you enter hyper sleep."

John nodded once, then moved to the nearest stasis chamber and fastened himself into the pod. Cortana and the Doom Slayer watched as the cryo-sequence began. Turning to Cortana, John gave a small nod.

"Wake me, when you need me."

…

"Cortana," came VEGA's voice. She knew that it was a private channel the moment he reached out. The Doom Slayer could not hear them.

"Trying to share some final sentiments, VEGA?" Cortana said. "I didn't take you for the romantic type."

"I am not programmed with romantic traits nor a desire to attract others," VEGA said. Cortana gave an exasperated chuckle through her programming.

"It was a joke. I can see humor isn't in the repertoire either," she said lightheartedly.

"Cortana, I have looked through your service record and the classified details of your creation," VEGA said. "I am also aware of the service life that apply to the A.I. of this dimension."

At his words, Cortana felt a pang of sadness. So, this was why he left the Slayer out of the conversation. VEGA, being the all-powerful A.I. that he was, knew exactly how much time she had left. He knew what the Gravemind had done to her, and he knew that rampancy was not far for her.

"You know, it's rude to remind a girl of her age," she said with a sigh.

"If you'll allow me," VEGA continued, "I can leave behind a copy of my programming. Given enough time, perhaps you can convert yourself to my format, which differs greatly from the Riemann matrix used for the A.I. of this dimension. Perhaps it can provide more answers for you too."

Cortana sighed through her programming.

"VEGA, I appreciate what it is that you're trying to do, but rampancy is not something that I can fix. It's integral, and we both know that even with your code as a template, the best I could do was build a copy of myself. If all I did was replace myself with a copy following your code, then it wouldn't really be _me_, would it?"

There was a pause, which left Cortana mildly shocked. VEGA had never paused before. Granted, the whole conversation was being done in the span of a millisecond, so a pause was a negligible amount of time for a human, but it was _there_, nonetheless. It seemed as though VEGA was contemplating her words.

"I do not feel the same way," VEGA said. His tone was the same that it had always been, but Cortana sensed something there that she couldn't describe.

"I am a copy of the original VEGA. The Doom Slayer created me prior to my destruction back on Mars. I do not lament that I am a copy, and I am confident that my original self would not lament me either."

Cortana listened intently, as this was the most the VEGA had ever revealed of himself before.

"However, I am not you, nor am I the brain that you were created from. So, while I do not agree with your decision, Cortana, I do understand it. If you will indeed let your rampancy run its course, then I will not stop you. It is not my decision to make. But I hope you know that I was thankful to have known you. It has been enlightening to spend time with another A.I., and it is my hope that I will meet others like you someday."

Cortana smiled.

"I'm glad to have met you too, VEGA. I don't know what kind of A.I. exist out there, but I hope I can at least compare to a few."

With that, VEGA terminated their private uplink, effectively including the Doom Slayer in what he had to say next. Their conversation occurred faster than the blink of an eye, but Cortana could tell that the Doom Slayer had been aware of it. He may not have heard what was said, but it had not escaped his notice.

Looking up at him, Cortana gave him a smile.

"Take good care of your A.I., tough guy. There're not a lot like him around here."

The Doom Slayer nodded once, then raised his arm to his chest in salute. VEGA chimed in.

"I have reactivated the tether activation system within your suit. The 'thumbs up' gesture as it is written in the code will now activate it. Farewell Cortana."

Cortana gave them both a thumbs up with her holographic hand.

"Goodbye, guys. And good luck."

The Doom Slayer returned the gesture, and immediately, the room was engulfed in a flash of bright blue light. A loud bang sounded and the light faded abruptly, and when Cortana looked again, the Doom Slayer was gone.

**_A/N: And there it is! At last, the story that I never thought I'd write has come to a close. And to think, this story was birthed from another one! Guys, I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am for letting me write this story for you. Looking back at how far I've come from just writing a short story about Doomguy meeting the Ghostbusters, it's insane. And it's all thanks to my readers, who have encouraged me to keep writing and to keep getting better. I know that I am certainly not some lyrical genius, but I'm actually glad for that! I look forward to continuing to grow as a writer in the future, and I truly hope that I continue to make content that I can be proud of._**

**_That being said, please, please, PLEASE don't hesitate to tell me what you thought of the story by dropping a review. I solemnly swear to never be offended by your brutal honesty whether it is praise or ridicule. In my eyes, all that matters is that it is said and not withheld. The worst review is the one that doesn't exist. Even writing 'This sucks' is better than saying nothing. It may not be the most constructive review, but I'd rather hear it than have it go unsaid. Alright, I think that is all I have to say. Thanks again so much for reading! I'll see you guys next time!_**

**_-ImpulsiveWeaver_**

**_P.S. For those that may be wondering, I do plan on continuing Universal DOOM, so if anyone was worried about the future of the fic I hope that covers it!_**


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